Twitter is one of the most popular social media networks that, in recent years, has been increasingly used by researchers as a platform to share science and discuss ongoing work. Despite its... Show moreTwitter is one of the most popular social media networks that, in recent years, has been increasingly used by researchers as a platform to share science and discuss ongoing work. Despite its popularity, Twitter is not commonly used as a medium to teach science. Here, we summarize the results of #EUROmicroMOOC: the first worldwide Microbiology Massive Open Online Course taught in English using Twitter. Content analytics indicated that more than 3 million users saw posts with the hashtag #EUROmicroMOOC, which resulted in over 42 million Twitter impressions worldwide. These analyses demonstrate that free Microbiology MOOCs shared on Twitter are valuable educational tools that reach broad audiences throughout the world. We also describe our experience teaching an entire Microbiology course using Twitter and provide recommendations when using social media to communicate science to a broad audience. Show less
Davis, D.; Chen, G.; Zee, T. van der; Hauff, C.; Houben, G.J. 2016
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are successful in delivering educational resources to the masses, however, the current retention rates—well below 10 %—indicate that they fall short in helping... Show moreMassive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are successful in delivering educational resources to the masses, however, the current retention rates—well below 10 %—indicate that they fall short in helping their audience become effective MOOC learners. In this paper, we report two MOOC studies we conducted in order to test the effectiveness of pedagogical strategies found to be beneficial in the traditional classroom setting: retrieval practice (i.e. strengthening course knowledge through actively recalling information) and study planning (elaborating on weekly study plans). In contrast to the classroom-based results, we do not confirm our hypothesis, that small changes to the standard MOOC design can teach MOOC learners valuable self-regulated learning strategies. 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
