Issues of the phenomenon of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and its integration into current online and campus education to enhance higher education quality in universities is gaining importance.... Show moreIssues of the phenomenon of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and its integration into current online and campus education to enhance higher education quality in universities is gaining importance. This large scale form of online education has the potential to escalate the reputations of universities and increase the global access to their institutions. However, the design and implementation of MOOCs is not easy. Thus, many higher education institutions take time for careful consideration before running them. Otherwise, this new online learning phenomenon, which is also called disruptive innovation, might cause some unintended negative economical and reputational results. This study aimed to examine the strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats of MOOCs in higher education. The data from the document analysis was examined by SWOT method to put insights on MOOCs internal and external standing. The electronic data including books, research reports, conference papers, journal articles, blog posts, discussion boards, and web forms were considered as a sample of the study. The findings show that accessibility, lifelong learning and brand extensions are some of the strengths of MOOCs, whereas dropout rates, poor pedagogy and low-quality assessments are major barriers for their effectiveness. Alternative education and collaborative learning are some of the outstanding opportunities MOOCs present, which worth the efforts to create more democratic and innovative higher education. Results indicated that it is worth to explore the ways to improve the completion rates, weak pedagogical structure, degree provision, quality insurance and assessment as well as to discover the needs of new generation in online learning. Show less
In a relatively short period of time, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become aconsiderable topic of research and debate, and the number of available MOOCs is rapidlygrowing. Along with... Show moreIn a relatively short period of time, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become aconsiderable topic of research and debate, and the number of available MOOCs is rapidlygrowing. Along with issues of formal recognition and accreditation, this growth in thenumber of MOOCs being developed increases the relevance of assessment quality. Withinthe context of a typical xMOOC, the current study focuses on peer assessment of essayassignments. In the literature, two contradicting theoretical arguments can be found: thatlearners should be matched with same-ability peers (homogeneously) versus that studentsshould be matched with different-ability peers (heterogeneously). Considering thesearguments, the relationship between peer reviewers’ ability and authors’ essayperformance is explored. Results indicate that peer reviewers’ ability is positively related toauthors’ essay performance. Moreover, this relationship is only established for intermediateand high ability authors; essay performance of lower ability authors appeared not to berelated to the ability of their reviewing peers. Results are discussed in relation to thematching of learners and instructional design of peer assessment in MOOCs. Show less
Open online distance learning in higher education has quickly gained popularity, expanded, and evolved, with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as the most recent development. New web technologies... Show moreOpen online distance learning in higher education has quickly gained popularity, expanded, and evolved, with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as the most recent development. New web technologies allow for scalable ways to deliver video lecture content, implement social forums and track student progress in MOOCs. However, we remain limited in our ability to assess complex and open-ended student assignments. In this paper, we present a study on various forms of assessment and their relationship with the final exam score. In general, the reliability of both the self-assessments and the peer assessments was high. Based on low correlations with final exam grades as well as with other assessment forms, we conclude that self-assessments might not be a valid way to assess students’ performance in MOOCs. Yet the weekly quizzes and peer assessment significantly explained differences in students’ final exam scores, with one of the weekly quizzes as the strongest explanatory variable. We suggest that both self-assessment and peer assessment would better be used as assessment for learning instead of assessment of learning. Future research on MOOCs implies a reconceptualization of education variables, including the role of assessment of students’ achievements. Show less
