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IEEE Learning with MOOCs VI: Meeting the People who Make the MOOCs

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IEEE Learning with MOOCs VI: Meeting the People who Make the MOOCs

Diercks Hall MSOE

I was a first time attendee at the sixth iteration of IEEE’s Learning with MOOCs conference held in October 2019 at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was there representing Esri and its MOOC Program, which I manage. (Why does a private software company offer MOOCs? I answered that question earlier this year.) I believe this was the smallest conference I’ve ever attended. There were just about 50 attendees! That said, these were the “right” 50 people to discuss the worldwide state of MOOCs. There were people from universities, governments, platform providers and private companies from among other countries, Uruguay, Singapore, Japan, Germany, India and Israel. A good number hailed from the United States including organizations using MOOCs in non-traditional ways. For example, Lincoln Labs, a defense/tech contractor based outside of Boston uses MOOCs for internal and contractor training. I was surprised to learn about a MOOC that teaches the basics of lasers by having students build one from a kit!

These are my takeaways from the conference:

The opening keynote speaker, Kerrie Douglas from Purdue, had us meet one another and then discuss some key MOOC topics in small groups. One takeaway for me what that the definition of a “good MOOC” varies depending on the goal of the provider and the student. Douglas cited a National Academy Press report of which I’d not heard: How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures that might be of interest to others who “make MOOCs.” The other point she made that was valuable to hear was that MOOC providers need to be realistic about having some students who are “fully engaged”, others who are “somewhat engaged” and a group that are “sporadically engaged.”

K. Holly Shiflett from MOOC platform provider and conference sponsor FutureLearn, suggested in her keynote that the responsibility for lifelong learning is moving from the employer to the learner. She described the “old model” of a high school diploma or single degree followed by employer training as all that was needed for a 40+ year career. The “new model” involves learner-directed lifelong learning. She divided learning options by their time span: from 5-60 minutes, 10-50 hour, 50-150 hours, to those that take a year or more that may lead to a certificate or degree.

Anant Agarwal, the CEO of edX, a sponsor, gave a “state of the art” keynote. (A video of his presentation is available on the IBLNews website, a conference media partner.) Agarwal noted that MOOC students seek different MOOC experiences. He described five:

Five MOOC goals

  • Relevant: acquire specific skills
  • Multidisciplinary: broaden/find complementary skills
  • Fluid: have learning be part of their lives
  • Connected: be locked to a location/family but still learn
  • Transformational: change themselves

Agarwal noted that employers are looking for a variety of skills in their new employees with about one third being soft skills. He noted too, that today about one third of Americans will change fields from their first job.

The delegates from India spoke about different components of the government initiative SWAYAM, a platform that offers free online college courses. Currently students can use the courses, once a fee-based exam is passed, for up to 20% of their degree credits. One course I learned about was aimed at introducing teachers to a variety of open source technologies that they might use in their classes. Students in that course were expected to create “lessons” with the technologies and then share them. Any MOOC that encourages students to create a valuable new product (a lesson, a research study, a software program, a laser, etc.) ranks above those that involve rote exercises in my book.

The delegate from Israel described the government initiative to provide free online preparation for the country’s college entrance exam, the Psychometric Entrance Test. The government wanted to level the playing field for lower income residents who could not afford existing fee-based face to face or online preparation courses. The solution is hosted on the country’s Open EdX implementation and with limited advertising generated a lot of interest and was judged by the students to be at least as good as, and often better than, the paid courses. The team behind the course even trialed an effort where students paid a small fee to also attend face to face sessions and have email access to a tutor. That was quite popular and successful, but alas does not scale.

A small company in Uruguay offers continuing education medical courses in Spanish and Portuguese. The courses fulfill requirements for continuing education for licensing in some countries (and are paid for by hospitals and other organization) but are also taken by medical professionals on their own dime. The company partners with experts on specific topics to develop and offer the latest information on specific medical topics.

The delegates from the Hasso Plattner Institute, home of the open HPI platform have a good deal of experience with MOOCs, since the platform dates back to 2012. One of their papers highlighted how a small change in the MOOC interface, changing the name of the button for the group chat, made a huge difference in student participation. That was a good reminder that no matter how good the content of a MOOC, small interface tweaks can make a significant difference in student experience.

One of the large group of students in attendance from North Dakota State University presented an interesting twist on finding topics for student projects. When it came time for students to identify project topics in Biomedical Engineering, a program with a “MOOC-ish” component, he pointed them to the listing of federal funding opportunity announcements to find a topic. I thought that was a clever way to have students find topics, tackle real world issues even as they networked! A good proportion of students found themselves invited to conferences and one even got a grant.

A few of the papers discussed the evaluation of language in MOOC content. I learned there are software tools to (1) evaluate the readability of course content, (2) embed definitions of terms in the course text and, (3) identify if the course content includes any gender stereotypes that might be reconsidered. I’ve not used such tools, but I am interested in seeing what they can do!

The final comment I want to share relates to the conference format. There were a handful of invited or sponsor-delivered keynotes of 45 minutes, but the paper presentations were just five minutes long. Each presenter also shared a poster covering the same content in a three-hour poster session on the first day. This format meant I was exposed to every accepted paper and spoke with nearly every attendee at least once. That’s not something I can say about too many other conferences!

Class Central is a media partner for LWMOOCs.

Scooters Everywhere

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Scooters Everywhere

Are there electric rental scooters where you live? If so, have you ever ridden one? If not, do you wish your town or city had them?

In your opinion, are these scooters a blessing or a curse? Why?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article about how these services, once hailed as the next big thing in transportation, are hitting growing pains.

Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.

Should the Week Be Four Days Instead of Five?

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Should the Week Be Four Days Instead of Five?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

Microsoft Japan made headlines recently after it tested a shortened workweek — four days instead of five — and found that productivity at the company improved by about 40 percent.

What is your reaction to this news? Do you think all companies and schools should adopt a four-day week? Why or why not?

In “What if You Had a Four-Day Week? Why Don’t You?, Niraj Chokshi writes about the promises of and barriers to a shortened workweek:

Nixon predicted it. Workers have asked for it. And businesses and governments have experimented with it for decades. The world has been talking about the four-day workweek for half a century, so what’s taking so long?

The idea pops up every so often in expectant headlines. Just last week, Microsoft Japan inspired a flood of stories after reporting that, in a trial, shortened weeks had boosted productivity by about 40 percent. Yet the four-day workweek is the flying car of labor: a profound advancement that has seemed just around the corner for decades.

“In America? I’m not expecting it anytime soon,” said Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, who made the case for a shorter workweek to business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year.

The reasons that a four-day workweek hasn’t yet taken hold are varied, Mr. Grant and others argue. Some barriers are institutional and some are cultural. And then there’s the most human reason of all: inertia.

However, Mr. Chokshi writes, there may still be hope for the four-day workweek:

Historically, experiments with the idea have tended to focus on its effects on employee happiness and work-life balance. But the Perpetual Guardian trial last year and the test conducted by Microsoft Japan this year focused on a benefit that might motivate employers: productivity.

“It is making it safer for chief executives, for boards, for companies around the world to say, ‘Well, actually, I’m not just doing this because it is a good thing for my employees, I can also do this because it is good for business,’” Mr. Barnes said.

At the same time, there’s a widespread desire among employees to work shorter weeks.

About two-thirds of workers favor a compressed workweek, according to recent surveys by the staffing firm Robert Half and the public radio program Marketplace. And a poll conducted last year by The Workforce Institute, a think tank at Kronos, a maker of work force management software, found that 34 percent of global workers wanted a four-day workweek compared to 28 percent who were happy with a five-day one. (Some unions have pushed for shorter weeks, too.)

Millennials and the generation that follows, Generation Z, also seem to be driving a broad shift in priorities when it comes to work, focusing less on pay and more on balance, Mr. Hunnicutt argued.

“My generation, the baby boomers, may be the last true believers in this really bizarre belief that work can really answer all of our questions as human beings,” he said.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Do you think the school- and workweek should be four days instead of five? Why or why not?

  • What might be some of the advantages and disadvantages of a shortened week? In your opinion, do the pros outweigh the cons?

  • How do you think your life would change if you went to school for only four days a week? Would you be more or less productive at school? Would you spend more time doing things you enjoy outside of school or would you waste more time? What else?

  • In the article, professor Benjamin Kline Hunnicutt says: “We value work more than any other culture in the history of the world … We value work as an end in itself.” Do you personally see work as a means to an end — for example, working to get good grades so you can get into the college of your choice or having a high-paying job so you have money to spend on other things? Or do you see work as an end in itself — that is, simply working for the sake of working? Why?

  • Mr. Hunnicutt also argues that Millennials and Generation Z seem to be prioritizing work-life balance over pay. Does this ring true for you? In your future career, would you rather have a job that pays you a lot but requires more working hours? Or a job that pays you less but offers you more time off? Why?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Taking instructional design to the next level

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Taking instructional design to the next level

This past August, Suprita earned the Instructional Design MasterTrack™ Certificate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Prior to completing the program, she was a self-taught instructional designer in India who created content for corporate training programs on subjects like time management and organizational skills.

Honing my expertise

As a self-taught instructional designer, I was fortunate to have met excellent mentors who guided me in the field. I was “learning by doing” and building a fulfilling career.

While I enjoyed the process of creating training modules that were well-received, I never really felt fully confident about the art and science of instructional design. I knew I wanted to delve deeper than my trial-and-error methods and formally learn the instructional design process. That’s when I found the Instructional Design MasterTrack Certificate! My main goal was to find practical and applicable solutions for designing quality learning experiences.   

Connecting with learners

This isn’t my first time using the Coursera platform to gain new skills. I’ve taken several courses before. The Coursera platform makes online learning social and engaging. I love that we get to interact with very diverse groups of learners. This is especially true in the MasterTrack Certificate program, where we get even more opportunities for live interaction.  

I want to give credit to the instructional designers and instructors of the program that made all 16 weeks excellent and enjoyable. I loved the opportunities for real engagement between peers and faculty. Discussions in the forums were insightful. The program built my self-confidence to the point where I could hold a good conversation about a relevant instructional design topic. 

Taking instructional design to the next level

My level of confidence about the subject has increased tremendously. Previously, I was self-taught designer. Today I have a formal certification from a great university thanks to Coursera. I’m confident about my skills in analysis, developing learning objectives, and assessing learning outcomes with the right process and tools

I’m continuously looking to improve my eLearning skills, and I’ve had a blast experimenting with trial versions of course authoring tools over the last month or so. I look forward to using these skills as I freelance as an instructional designer and eLearning specialist.

 

Fortune Tellers

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Fortune Tellers

Have you ever visited a fortune teller? Did you just go for fun, or did you believe that person was truly clairvoyant?

What do you think about people who claim to have the ability to see the future, read minds or speak with the dead?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article about tracking down one of New York City’s most famous psychics.

Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.

Word + Quiz: callow

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Word + Quiz: callow

: young and inexperienced

_________

The word callow has appeared in 28 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 1 in “‘Piranhas’ Review: Junior Mafia” by Glenn Kenny:

Nicola (Francesco Di Napoli) is a 15-year-old who’s cheerful, aimless and hard up in his small corner of Naples. After getting turned away at a sleazy albeit exclusive nightclub, and observing squabbles between the gang leaders who battle over rights to sit in the local greasy spoon, he makes overtures to a former crime big shot. His pitch is to assemble his own gang to sell drugs, extort from local businesses, and gain money and status.

“I’ll give you what you need,” one minor capo confined to house arrest says, “but don’t screw up.” Mmm-hmm. “Piranhas” has interesting detail about how the new-style gangsters operate. But despite Di Napoli’s high cheekbones and natural appeal, Nicola isn’t much of a character, toggling between baby-faced innocence and callow ruthlessness, but not much else. When the camera follows him around, looking over his shoulder, it doesn’t add realism to the story; it adds flab.

_________

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Nov. 20, 2019

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What’s Going On in This Graph? | Nov. 20, 2019

These graphs of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States by sector and by type of transportation originally appeared elsewhere on NYTimes.com.

By Friday morning, Nov. 22, we will provide the “Reveal,” the graphs’ free online link, additional background and questions, shout-outs highlighting student comments and headlines, and Stat Nuggets.

After looking closely at the graphs above (or at this full-size image), think about these three questions:

  • What do you notice? If you make a claim, tell us what you noticed that supports your claim.

  • What do you wonder? What are you curious about that comes from what you notice in the graphs?

The questions are intended to build on one another, so try to answer them in order. Start with “I notice,” then “I wonder,” and end with a catchy headline.

2. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment online. Teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students’ comments.)

3. After you have posted, read what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting a comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.

On Wednesday, Nov. 20, our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, will facilitate this discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time to help students’ understanding go deeper. You might use their responses as models for your own.

4. By Friday morning, we will reveal more information about the graphs at the bottom of this post. Students, we encourage you to post an additional comment after reading the reveal. How does the original article and the moderators’ comments help you see the graphs differently? Try to incorporate the statistical terms defined in the Stat Nuggets in your response.

  • Read our 2019-20 introductory post, which includes the archives of past releases by topic and graph type.

  • Learn more about the “Notice and Wonder” teaching strategy and how and why other teachers are using this feature from our on-demand webinar.

  • Sign up for our free weekly newsletter so you never miss a graph, and add our 2019-20 “What’s Going On in This Graph?” live-moderated discussion Wednesdays to your Google calendar (11/20, 12/4, 12/11, 1/8, 1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/8, 2/12, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8). Graphs are always released by the Friday before to give teachers time to plan ahead.

  • Go to the A.S.A. K-12 website, which includes This is Statistics, resources, professional development, student competitions, curriculum, courses and careers.

Why Do You Follow Sports?

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Why Do You Follow Sports?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

Recently, the acting editor in chief of Deadspin, a popular sports website, was fired for his refusal to “stick to sports” in deciding what his staff covered. Following his dismissal, almost the entire staff resigned in protest.

What do you think? Should sports journalists stick exclusively to sports — box scores, highlights, stories of heroic achievement? Or should they also cover “outside the lines” issues like concussions, domestic violence, racism and politics? Is it possible to separate the rest of the world from sports?

Why do you read and watch sports news and commentary — whether it’s in Sports Illustrated or Bleacher Report, or in TV shows like “SportsCenter” or “Fox NFL Sunday”? Do you care only about the entertainment value of the games? Do you see sports news as an escape from other kinds of news? Or are you also interested in the broader societal issues that affect athletes, leagues and fans?

In an Opinion essay, “I Was Fired From Deadspin for Refusing to ‘Stick to Sports’,” Barry Petchesky writes:

Two weeks ago, I was fired as acting editor in chief of Deadspin, where I’d worked since 2009. The entire staff resigned, following me out the door after we had refused a new company mandate to “stick to sports.” Jim Spanfeller, installed as chief executive of G/O Media by the private equity firm that bought the company seven months ago, called me into his office, pointed to some offending stories on our home page and had me escorted from the building. This is the first time that I’m speaking up about my firing, and my stance remains the same as in the countless meetings with management where I explained and insisted that sports don’t end when the players head back to the locker room.

We refused to “stick to sports,” because we know that sports is everything, and everything is sports: It’s the N.B.A. kowtowing to its Chinese business interests; it’s pro sports leagues attempting to become shadow justice systems for publicity reasons; it’s the opioid epidemic roiling N.F.L. locker rooms at least as hard as anywhere in Appalachia, even as the league refuses to relax its marijuana policy; it’s racist fan chants chasing black players off the pitch in Italian soccer matches; it’s Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap at the White House. (These last two stories occurred in the past week and so were not covered on Deadspin; the “stick to sports” diktat forced the outlet to ignore the biggest sports stories in the world.)

Reporting sports with integrity requires knowing that there’s no way to wall off the games from the world outside. To anyone who knows anything about sports or cares about the world outside the arena, the notion that sports should or even can be covered merely by box scores and transaction wires is absurd.

From the moment Deadspin was founded in 2005, the website took for granted that what happened off the field was at least as important as the goings-on between the lines, and that there was no way to unravel the two. Deadspin’s approach was a reaction to the predominant strain of sportswriting at the time, which treated athletes as either Greek demigods unconcerned with the dealings of the world or spoiled millionaires playing children’s games.

The essay concludes:

Deadspin was the voice of the long-suffering fan, finding the humor and the heartbreak in everything in the world of sports. It was the fan wondering why he was paying $200 to go to a football game to watch a team whose owner would rather pocket profit than pay to improve the roster. It was also the fan troubled by the culture and the politics of sports, the fan who couldn’t help noticing that the larger issues of the real world spilled onto the field. Sticking to sports, pretending that sports can take place in a vacuum, would have been profoundly dishonest.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Should sports reporting “stick to sports”? Should coverage focus more on scores and highlights? Or are broader societal issues an integral part of sports too? Why or why not?

  • Do you agree with Mr. Petchesky that “sports is everything, and everything is sports”? Which aspects of his argument that sports doesn’t “take place in a vacuum” resonate most?

  • Where do you get your sports news and why? Do you have a favorite sports reporter or sports news venue? On the whole, would you say that you prefer a “stick to sports” approach or the kind of broader sports coverage that Deadspin offered?

  • What kinds of sports stories are you interested in most? Is there a recent story that stands out? If yes, tell us why.

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?”

This article is the first in a series called “Good Question” in which Randall Munroe, a former NASA roboticist turned web cartoonist, tries to explain — through text and illustrations — the scientific mysteries that keep readers awake at night.

In this lesson, students learn what the moon feels like and why. Then they explore the science questions that are on their minds.

The article you are about to read poses the question: If I touched the moon, what would it feel like?

What predictions can you make about what the moon feels like? What evidence do you have that could support those predictions?

Now, scroll through the illustrations in the article. What more do you learn from them about what the moon feels like? Use the information from the visuals to strengthen the predictions you made.

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. What might the vacuum of space feel like, according to the author? What evidence does he use to support this idea?

2. How do the temperatures on the day and night sides of the moon compare with those on Earth? What factors influence those temperatures?

3. Why might you be able to touch the lunar surface with your bare hand without getting uncomfortably warm, but touching a lunar rock might make you yank your hand back in pain?

4. In your own words, write a brief response to the headline’s question: If you touched the moon, what would it feel like?

5. Return to your predictions from the warm-up. How many were correct? What questions do you still have about what the moon might feel like if you touched it?

What science mysteries do you wonder about?

“If you touched the moon, what would it feel like?” is just one of the many scientific queries from the public that Mr. Munroe has tried to answer. In his web comic XKCD, he takes on many more. Here are few examples:

Brainstorm a question you would like Mr. Munroe to answer and submit it to the “Good Question” column using the form below:

If you have more time, do some research to see if you can find the answer to your question. Then illustrate an explanation, or part of one, as Mr. Munroe does.

How your attitude defines your life!

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How your attitude defines your life!

There is nothing more exhilarating than being around people who exude the energy of endless possibilities. These kinds of people are needed in our lives if we wish to see what is attainable. When we surround our environment with people who believe in the harshness of life we are drained of energy and vitality. Therefore, the choice is really up to us – do we want to reach the stars or do we want to stay on the ground constantly looking up secretly wishing that we were among the dazzling jewels that grace the heavens. A strong, positive and resilient attitude will help elevate you to unimaginable heights.

In life attitude is everything. Check the people around you and observe their attitude barometer – negative or positive – and if the results are negative then you may need to look at your own attitude and make certain adjustments. Usually people mirror our own unconscious feelings and attitudes about life that we perhaps are not acknowledging head on. Remember, your attitude determines your altitude. That’s why its so important to be choosy about who we do spend our time with. I believe that we do become what we think about, and who we surround ourselves with every day strongly influences what we think about or become. A positive attitude is not about displaying a phony smile, a happy face and a perky disposition. It is simply a way of responding to life in a manner that allows us to accept the duality, the contradictions, the contrasts of our experiences. A positive attitude enables you to make a difference in the world around you because when you are able to see things in a positive light, you help to influence and shape other people’s attitude as well.

What is attitude anyway? It is the mental state or position you take regarding your life and affairs. This means its not what you think but how you think it. Your attitude forms every event in your life, whether you realize it or not. Out of your attitude comes your enjoyment of life and gratitude for all your blessings. Out of your attitude also comes your disappointment and anger at how things have turned out. Out of attitude also comes the feeling that no accomplishment will be ever be good enough or that you are not good enough. Everyday, your attitude is challenged by other people and by external factors. How will you react? Will you allow adversity to stop you from moving forward? Will you allow a negative person to ruin your day, make you lose your cool, or force you to give up on your dreams? When such temptations come knocking on your door, stand at the door of your mind and declare powerfully and silently, “No one is home”. In other words, cease to engage.

Author : Felipe H Gomez
Degree : Masters
Major : Marketing
Country : United States
Language : English

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