M assive O pen O nline C hange? Exploring the Discursive Construction of the ‘ MOOC ’ in Newspapers

We explore interpretations of MOOCs around the globe and, in particular, interpretations of MOOCs in Norway. Based on a review of previous studies relevant to these topics, we present two contrasting views on the emergence and development of MOOCs, namely the global interruption view and the national mediation view. We suggest, based on previous studies that MOOCs seem to follow national paths more than global paths. In order to grasp the diversity of understandings of MOOCs, we developed a framework that embraces various aspects of motivation, context, and structure regarding MOOCs. With these two polarised views of MOOC development (the global interruption view and the national mediation view), and the framework serving as an analytical approach, we looked at Norway and analyzed the understandings of the development of MOOCs within this particular national context. The national government seems to have been important in the development of the present MOOCs in Norway, both by organizing a particular group of experts in a dedicated commission to consider the future of MOOC in Norway, and by initiating and giving financial support to the development of MOOCs.

Section: Discussion Of Global Disruption Vs National Mediationmentioning

confidence: 75%

Massive, Open, Online, and National? A Study of How National Governments and Institutions Shape the Development of MOOCs

Tømte

Fevolden

Aanstad

2017

“…(Selwyn, Bulfin & Pangrazio, 2015) or that a self-paced course cannot be a MOOC (Open Education Europa, 2014). To be comparable, this study did not define MOOC as well.…”

Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing MOOC Adoption Strategies in Europe: Results from the HOME Project Survey

Jansen

Schuwer

Teixeira

et al. 2015

Much of the literature and the academic discussion about institutional strategic planning of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) has been centred on the U.S. context. Literature on MOOCs in Europe is still developing and just recently some empirical studies were conducted.However, these studies are not comparable, and it is hard to learn about differences between regions and types of educational institutions. Given the very different institutional, political and cultural contexts, it is interesting to analyse how in these two different regions Higher Education institutions (HEIs) are responding to the challenges of the MOOC phenomena and are integrating it in their own strategic planning. The current research presents the first attempt to conduct a comparative study of institutional MOOC strategies in Europe and U.S. It is based on a survey launched by the EU-funded HOME project and compares results with a similar survey conducted in U.S. Results show that there are significant differences in how the U.S. and European HEIs understand the impact of massive open education and also how they perceive the efficiency of digital education and online learning.

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Selwyn, Bulfin and Pangrazio (2015) argue in their analysis of the discursive construction of MOOCs in the popular media that the frenzy around the MOOC movement conceals a number of contradictory messages. For example, despite claims of disrupting traditional higher education systems, the legitimacy of the MOOC movement as an educational innovation appears to derive primarily from its association with high status, elite universities (Selwyn et al, 2015). In addition, they point out that so-called new models of online massive pedagogy are heralded as innovative using the best of Web 2.0 technology, whilst derided by more critical and contemporary educators as merely replicating the passive instructionism of the 20th century.…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunities and Threats of the MOOC Movement for Higher Education: The European Perspective

Schuwer

Gil‐Jaurena

Aydın

et al. 2015

The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement is the latest "big thing" in Open and Distance Learning (ODL). MOOCs offer both opportunities and threats that are extensively discussed in the literature, including the potential of opening up education for all at a global scale. 21On the other hand, MOOCs challenge traditional pedagogy and raise important questions about the future of campus-based education. However, in discussing these opportunities and threats the majority of the literature tends to focus on the origin of the MOOC movement in the United States (US). The specific context of Europe with its diversity of languages, cultural environments, educational policies, and regulatory frameworks differs substantially from the US context. Accordingly, this article offers a European perspective on MOOCs in order to better understand major differences in threats and opportunities across countries and continents, including the use and reuse of MOOCs for regional or global use, via European or non-European platforms. In the context of the EU funded HOME project (Higher education Online: MOOCs the European way), a research initiative was undertaken to identify opportunities and threats of the MOOC movement for European higher education institutions. Three sources of data were gathered and analysed.Opportunities and threats were categorized into two levels. The macro level comprises issues related to the higher education system, European context, historical period, and institutional concerns. The micro level covers aspects related to faculty, teachers, and courses, thus to the operational level. The main opportunities discovered were: the ECTS as a robust system for formal recognition of accomplishments in MOOCs; the trend for institutional collaboration, stimulated by EU-funded programs; and the many innovative and alternative pedagogical models used in MOOCs published in Europe. The main threats mentioned were: implementation problems of the ECTS, difficulties in bridging non/informal and formal education; and too much regulation, hindering experimentation and innovation.