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MOOCs 101: An Introduction to Massive Open Online Courses Matthew B. Hoy
a
a
Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire , Eau Claire , Wisconsin , USA Published online: 14 Feb 2014.
Click for updates To cite this article: Matthew B. Hoy (2014) MOOCs 101: An Introduction to Massive Open Online Courses, Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 33:1, 85-91, DOI: 10.1080/02763869.2014.866490 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2014.866490
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/termsand-conditions
Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 33(1):85–91, 2014 Published with license by Taylor & Francis ISSN: 0276-3869 print/1540-9597 online DOI: 10.1080/02763869.2014.866490
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES Matthew B. Hoy and Tara Brigham, Column Editors
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
MOOCs 101: An Introduction to Massive Open Online Courses MATTHEW B. HOY Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a new type of online class that allow anyone, anywhere, to participate via video lectures, computer graded tests, and discussion forums. This article will give a basic overview of what MOOCs are, how they work, and some of their inherent advantages and disadvantages. It will also explore what MOOCs mean for medical education and libraries. A list of MOOC-related resources is also included. KEYWORDS Education, Internet, Massive Open Online Courses, MOOCs
INTRODUCTION One of the promises of the Internet has always been to democratize education, making the accumulated knowledge of mankind available to everyone. Over the last decade, many educational institutions have begun offering courses via the web in a variety of formats. Recently, a new breed of online class has emerged: the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). MOOCs are online classes that anyone, anywhere can participate in, usually for free. They are made up of short video lectures combined with © Matthew B. Hoy Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Column Editors: Matthew B. Hoy (hoy. [email protected]) and Tara Brigham ([email protected]). Address correspondence to Matthew B. Hoy, Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire, 1221 Whipple Street, Eau Claire, WI 54701. E-mail: [email protected] 85
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computer-graded tests and online forums where participants can discuss the material or get help. MOOCs are open to anyone who wants to register, and classes often have tens of thousands of participants. This article will describe the basic elements of a MOOC and explore what MOOCs might mean for libraries. It will also discuss what effects MOOCs might have on medical education. A list of MOOC related websites is also included.
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
WHAT IS A MOOC? MOOCs are a group of online classes that share several key features. The most obvious is that all content is delivered online, either through video, slideshows, discussion boards, or any combination thereof. Courses are usually developed by well-known figures in the field from large research institutions, but in reality anyone can create a MOOC. Participants pay no enrollment fees and there are no restrictions on who may register, although there may be suggested prerequisite knowledge. As McAuley put it, “a MOOC integrates the connectivity of social networking, the facilitation of an acknowledged expert in a field of study, and a collection of freely accessible online resources.”1 MOOC topics vary widely. Stanford’s list of MOOCs includes course titles such as “Game Theory,” “Antimicrobial Stewardship,” and “Mobile Health Without Borders.” Harvard and MIT’s joint venture, edX , offers courses from nearly 30 institutions around the globe, including The Karolinska Instititet, the Australian National University, Rice University, and many others. EdX currently offers around 80 courses, including “Health and Society,” “Jazz Appreciation,” and “Fundamentals of Clinical Trials.” The only real barriers to course topic selection are availability of experts to develop the course and whether the topic can be taught by lecture/discussion. Courses that require hands-on work with materials are inherently unsuited to an online format. Instead of attending traditional live lectures, students watch prerecorded lecture videos interspersed with quizzes that test comprehension. These frequent knowledge checks make it harder for students to “zone-out” and provide immediate feedback to students, letting them know if they have missed key concepts.2 Students also participate in online discussion forums where they can get clarification, share their thoughts, and build a sense of community like that found in a traditional classroom. Goodell noted that MOOCs “sometimes supplement discussions with in-person meet-ups and Google Hangouts video web meetings.”3 Although course-work is completed asynchronously, students are grouped together into cohorts, and classes begin and end at certain dates so that one group of students is learning the material together at the same time. This facilitates meaningful discussion by
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
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ensuring that the forums have a population of students who are working on the same material at the same time. Instructors can host their own MOOCs, but typically they are hosted at a dedicated provider that handles the user registration, content management, testing, discussion forums, and other “back-end” services. Instructors still need to create and upload the course content, but the user management functions are handled by the MOOC provider.4 There are many advantages to the MOOC model for online education. The inherent openness and user-friendliness of the format means that incredible educational resources are available to anyone with the time to devote to learning. MOOCs offer real opportunity to people without access to traditional education. However, there are still many issues that remain unresolved. MOOCs are often touted as a way of teaching thousands of students at once, but the reality is that very few students who register for a MOOC complete it. Many never even begin the course after registering.5 In their review of the literature on MOOCs, Liyanagunawardena, Adams, and Williams found that MOOCs have an average completion rate of less than 10%.6 Even when students do complete their work, there is no guarantee they have successfully mastered the material. As Oremus noted, San Jose State University recently suspended its MOOC project after the majority of the students enrolled in the courses failed their final exams.7 Although the idea of free education for everyone is noble, in practice few students have the perseverance to work their way through the material without additional motivation.
MOOCS AND LIBRARIES There is no clear answer about how MOOCs will affect libraries. As Becker put it, “MOOCs raise the questions of how and where library services fit into the MOOC model.”8 Libraries and librarians are typically supported by larger institutions. If these institutions are offering courses to exponentially larger groups of students from all over the globe, will the library be expected to provide these students with services? If that is the expectation, how can the libraries already struggling with reduced budgets meet the needs of these patrons? Even at reduced service levels, MOOC students could quickly overwhelm a library. However, if libraries are not asked to participate in a meaningful way to MOOCs, it will only serve to reinforce the idea some students have that libraries are no longer a necessary part of education. Another issue facing libraries serving MOOC students is licensing of resources and copyright. Since MOOCs comprise students who are globally distributed and who may or may not be enrolled at a university, access to licensed resources cannot be guaranteed for every student. If MOOC instructors have questions regarding access to licensed materials or copyright
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
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questions in general, librarians will need to be aware of the broad reach and large audience of these courses. In a recent issue brief, the Association of Research Libraries noted that “campus counsel at one library has advised that fair use is not an option in the context of MOOCs” and that “content owners are asking extraordinarily high prices or refusing to license for MOOC teaching, citing the for-profit nature of the platforms as well as the unprecedented scale.”9 Yet another problem facing libraries serving MOOC students is one of recreating work already done in institutional course management software. Wright summed up the issue nicely: “The work done by librarians within their university’s course management system, such as embedding lesson plans or offering an ‘Ask a Librarian’ feature, would not easily transfer to outside MOOC platforms.”10 Despite these issues, libraries cannot afford to be left out of the discussion about MOOCs. At a recent meeting, OCLC Research and the University of Pennsylvania Libraries developed a list of “Next Steps” for libraries to be proactively involved with MOOCs.11 Their advice was to get involved early and offer support and services in ways that libraries always have. Students and faculty will continue to look to libraries to provide materials for courses, no matter where they take place. Institutions will still expect libraries to manage resources wisely and provide service, even if those services go outside the traditional boundaries of the institution.
MOOCS AND MEDICINE Although many universities are rushing to join the MOOC world, it appears that medical schools are being more cautious. Harder notes that “to date, no medical school or pre-med program seems to have offered academic credit for a MOOC.”12 Prober and Heath make an excellent case for a “flipped classroom,” where students watch lectures outside of class and use class time for more engaged learning,13 noting significant improvement in test scores, attendance in class, and student course reviews. But that engaged learning portion of their plan is missing from the MOOC model, and it is doubtful that discussion forums are a suitable replacement. As Davies says, “lecture style didactics—or ‘content delivery,’ in the parlance of the web—are just one small piece of the overall learning experience in medicine.”14 Only so much can be taught via lecture. Medicine is as much about relating to patients as it is memorizing material, and teaching those relationship skills with video lectures and discussion forums would be very difficult. One area of medicine that may be radically affected by MOOCs is Continuing Medical Education. CME is a requirement for most physicians, and the idea of being able to participate in online courses at their convenience is bound to be appealing. Industry funding of CME activities is in a
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
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steep decline, and fewer physicians have the budget to travel.15 Harder noted that Coursera now offers two courses that can be counted as CME, “as long as students seeking CME pay a modest fee and submit to an optional process for identity verification.”12 As budgets continue to tighten, MOOCs could be a replacement for in-person CME courses. Another area of medicine that MOOCs may radically change is patient education. Volandes et al. noted that assigning patients to watch online videos prior to their appointments with physicians would allow for more of the patient encounter to be spent clarifying their questions and making decisions rather than lecturing.16 They also noted that creating MOOCs for patient education materials would have the benefit of standardizing what patients are being taught, removing variation among providers. Another advantage to creating MOOCs for patient education is that they might provide a built-in support community. If confidentiality could be ensured, well-moderated discussion forums could allow patients to find support from others in their peer group. MOOCs could also provide a useful method for updating patients about ongoing research and delivering reminders.
CONCLUSION MOOCs have the potential to bring education to millions who otherwise would not have access. The combination of short video lectures, frequent comprehension testing, and active participation in an online community can be an effective learning tool for some students, but the registration-tocompletion ratio is likely to remain low. Librarians should be aware of this technology and consider participating in a MOOC to better understand how they work. Although MOOC technology is not yet widespread within medicine, it could prove useful for medical education.
MOOC RESOURCES •
•
Coursera is a for-profit company that partners with universities. Coursera provides hosting and user services, partner institutions provide the content, and profits are divided. Profits come from selling verifiable certificates of completion and transcripts for certain courses. Costs for this service average about 50 dollars per course. Udacity is a for-profit company that works directly with instructors. Udacity’s courses are focused on computer science. Course material is developed by academics, but produced and presented by Udacity staff, giving it a polished and uniform style. Profits are earned by charging for certificates of completion.
90 •
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edX is a non-profit collaboration between Harvard and MIT. The site currently offers around 80 courses from more than 25 universities, many of them outside the United States. EdX plans to open source their platform and use data from their courses to study how students learn. Kahn Academy is a MOOC-like site aimed at middle and high-school students. It covers basic topics in math, science, art, and computer programming. Users earn virtual badges for completing tasks. Courses are all free. Udemy offers MOOCs on a wide variety of topics from academics and business to music production and game design. Course costs range from free to hundreds of dollars.
REFERENCES 1. McAuley, A., B. Stewart, G. Siemens, and D. Cormier. 2010. “The MOOC Model for Digital Practice.” https://oerknowledgecloud.org/sites/oerknowledgecloud.org/ files/MOOC_Final_0.pdf. 2. Ripley, A. “College Is Dead. Long Live College!” Time 180, no. 18 (October 29, 2012): 32–41. 3. Goodell, J. “Massive Open Online Courses.” MLA News 53, no. 9 (October 2013): 19. https://www.mlanet.org/members/pdf/news/2013/mlanews_2013_oct.pdf. 4. Kellogg, S. “Online Learning: How to Make a MOOC.” Nature 499, no. 7458 ( July 18, 2013): 369–371. 5. Lewin, Tamar. “Colleges Adapt Online Courses to Ease Burden.” The New York Times, April 29, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/education/collegesadapt-online-courses-to-ease-burden.html. 6. Liyanagunawardena, T.R., A.A. Adams, and S.A. Williams. “MOOCs: A Systematic Study of the Published Literature 2008–2012.” The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 14, no. 3 ( June 3, 2013): 202–227. 7. Oremus, W. “University Suspends Online Classes After More Than Half the Students Fail.” Slate (blog), July 19, 2013. http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_ tense/2013/07/19/san_jose_state_suspends_udacity_online_classes_after_students_ fail_final.html. 8. Becker, B.W. “Connecting MOOCs and Library Services.” Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian 32, no. 2 (2013): 135–138. doi:10.1080/01639269.2013.787383. 9. Association of Research Libraries. Massive Open Online Courses: Legal and Policy Issues for Research Libraries (Issue Brief). October 2012. http://www.arl.org/ storage/documents/publications/issuebrief-mooc-22oct12.pdf. 10. Wright, F. “What Do Librarians Need to Know About MOOCs?” D-Lib Magazine 19, no. 3/4 (March/April 2013). http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march13/wright/03wright. html. 11. OCLC. MOOCs and Libraries: Massive Opportunity or Overwhelming Challenge? March 18, 2013. http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/events/2013/03-18moocsnext-steps.pdf.
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12. Harder, B. “Are MOOCs the Future of Medical Education?” British Medical Journal 346 (April 26, 2013): f2666. doi:10.1136/bmj.f2666. 13. Prober, C.G., and C. Heath. “Lecture Halls Without Lectures—A Proposal for Medical Education.” New England Journal of Medicine 366, no. 18 (May 3, 2012): 1657–1659. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1202451. 14. Davies, E. “Will MOOCs Transform Medicine?” British Medical Journal 346 (May 3, 2013): f2877. doi:10.1136/bmj.f2877. 15. Steinman, M.A., C.S. Landefeld, and R.B. Baron. “Industry Support of CME— Are We at the Tipping Point?” New England Journal of Medicine 366, no. 12 (2012): 1069–1071. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1114776. 16. Volandes, A.E., W.J. Kennedy, A.D. Davis, M.R. Gillick, and M.K. PaascheOrlow. “The New Tools: What 21st Century Education Can Teach Us.” Healthcare 1, nos. 3–4 (December 2013): 79–81.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Matthew B. Hoy, MLIS ([email protected]) is Supervisor of Library and Media Support Services, Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire, 1221 Whipple Street, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
Medical Reference Services Quarterly Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wmrs20
MOOCs 101: An Introduction to Massive Open Online Courses Matthew B. Hoy
a
a
Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire , Eau Claire , Wisconsin , USA Published online: 14 Feb 2014.
Click for updates To cite this article: Matthew B. Hoy (2014) MOOCs 101: An Introduction to Massive Open Online Courses, Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 33:1, 85-91, DOI: 10.1080/02763869.2014.866490 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2014.866490
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/termsand-conditions
Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 33(1):85–91, 2014 Published with license by Taylor & Francis ISSN: 0276-3869 print/1540-9597 online DOI: 10.1080/02763869.2014.866490
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES Matthew B. Hoy and Tara Brigham, Column Editors
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
MOOCs 101: An Introduction to Massive Open Online Courses MATTHEW B. HOY Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a new type of online class that allow anyone, anywhere, to participate via video lectures, computer graded tests, and discussion forums. This article will give a basic overview of what MOOCs are, how they work, and some of their inherent advantages and disadvantages. It will also explore what MOOCs mean for medical education and libraries. A list of MOOC-related resources is also included. KEYWORDS Education, Internet, Massive Open Online Courses, MOOCs
INTRODUCTION One of the promises of the Internet has always been to democratize education, making the accumulated knowledge of mankind available to everyone. Over the last decade, many educational institutions have begun offering courses via the web in a variety of formats. Recently, a new breed of online class has emerged: the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). MOOCs are online classes that anyone, anywhere can participate in, usually for free. They are made up of short video lectures combined with © Matthew B. Hoy Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Column Editors: Matthew B. Hoy (hoy. [email protected]) and Tara Brigham ([email protected]). Address correspondence to Matthew B. Hoy, Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire, 1221 Whipple Street, Eau Claire, WI 54701. E-mail: [email protected] 85
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Emerging Technologies
computer-graded tests and online forums where participants can discuss the material or get help. MOOCs are open to anyone who wants to register, and classes often have tens of thousands of participants. This article will describe the basic elements of a MOOC and explore what MOOCs might mean for libraries. It will also discuss what effects MOOCs might have on medical education. A list of MOOC related websites is also included.
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
WHAT IS A MOOC? MOOCs are a group of online classes that share several key features. The most obvious is that all content is delivered online, either through video, slideshows, discussion boards, or any combination thereof. Courses are usually developed by well-known figures in the field from large research institutions, but in reality anyone can create a MOOC. Participants pay no enrollment fees and there are no restrictions on who may register, although there may be suggested prerequisite knowledge. As McAuley put it, “a MOOC integrates the connectivity of social networking, the facilitation of an acknowledged expert in a field of study, and a collection of freely accessible online resources.”1 MOOC topics vary widely. Stanford’s list of MOOCs includes course titles such as “Game Theory,” “Antimicrobial Stewardship,” and “Mobile Health Without Borders.” Harvard and MIT’s joint venture, edX , offers courses from nearly 30 institutions around the globe, including The Karolinska Instititet, the Australian National University, Rice University, and many others. EdX currently offers around 80 courses, including “Health and Society,” “Jazz Appreciation,” and “Fundamentals of Clinical Trials.” The only real barriers to course topic selection are availability of experts to develop the course and whether the topic can be taught by lecture/discussion. Courses that require hands-on work with materials are inherently unsuited to an online format. Instead of attending traditional live lectures, students watch prerecorded lecture videos interspersed with quizzes that test comprehension. These frequent knowledge checks make it harder for students to “zone-out” and provide immediate feedback to students, letting them know if they have missed key concepts.2 Students also participate in online discussion forums where they can get clarification, share their thoughts, and build a sense of community like that found in a traditional classroom. Goodell noted that MOOCs “sometimes supplement discussions with in-person meet-ups and Google Hangouts video web meetings.”3 Although course-work is completed asynchronously, students are grouped together into cohorts, and classes begin and end at certain dates so that one group of students is learning the material together at the same time. This facilitates meaningful discussion by
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
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87
ensuring that the forums have a population of students who are working on the same material at the same time. Instructors can host their own MOOCs, but typically they are hosted at a dedicated provider that handles the user registration, content management, testing, discussion forums, and other “back-end” services. Instructors still need to create and upload the course content, but the user management functions are handled by the MOOC provider.4 There are many advantages to the MOOC model for online education. The inherent openness and user-friendliness of the format means that incredible educational resources are available to anyone with the time to devote to learning. MOOCs offer real opportunity to people without access to traditional education. However, there are still many issues that remain unresolved. MOOCs are often touted as a way of teaching thousands of students at once, but the reality is that very few students who register for a MOOC complete it. Many never even begin the course after registering.5 In their review of the literature on MOOCs, Liyanagunawardena, Adams, and Williams found that MOOCs have an average completion rate of less than 10%.6 Even when students do complete their work, there is no guarantee they have successfully mastered the material. As Oremus noted, San Jose State University recently suspended its MOOC project after the majority of the students enrolled in the courses failed their final exams.7 Although the idea of free education for everyone is noble, in practice few students have the perseverance to work their way through the material without additional motivation.
MOOCS AND LIBRARIES There is no clear answer about how MOOCs will affect libraries. As Becker put it, “MOOCs raise the questions of how and where library services fit into the MOOC model.”8 Libraries and librarians are typically supported by larger institutions. If these institutions are offering courses to exponentially larger groups of students from all over the globe, will the library be expected to provide these students with services? If that is the expectation, how can the libraries already struggling with reduced budgets meet the needs of these patrons? Even at reduced service levels, MOOC students could quickly overwhelm a library. However, if libraries are not asked to participate in a meaningful way to MOOCs, it will only serve to reinforce the idea some students have that libraries are no longer a necessary part of education. Another issue facing libraries serving MOOC students is licensing of resources and copyright. Since MOOCs comprise students who are globally distributed and who may or may not be enrolled at a university, access to licensed resources cannot be guaranteed for every student. If MOOC instructors have questions regarding access to licensed materials or copyright
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
88
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questions in general, librarians will need to be aware of the broad reach and large audience of these courses. In a recent issue brief, the Association of Research Libraries noted that “campus counsel at one library has advised that fair use is not an option in the context of MOOCs” and that “content owners are asking extraordinarily high prices or refusing to license for MOOC teaching, citing the for-profit nature of the platforms as well as the unprecedented scale.”9 Yet another problem facing libraries serving MOOC students is one of recreating work already done in institutional course management software. Wright summed up the issue nicely: “The work done by librarians within their university’s course management system, such as embedding lesson plans or offering an ‘Ask a Librarian’ feature, would not easily transfer to outside MOOC platforms.”10 Despite these issues, libraries cannot afford to be left out of the discussion about MOOCs. At a recent meeting, OCLC Research and the University of Pennsylvania Libraries developed a list of “Next Steps” for libraries to be proactively involved with MOOCs.11 Their advice was to get involved early and offer support and services in ways that libraries always have. Students and faculty will continue to look to libraries to provide materials for courses, no matter where they take place. Institutions will still expect libraries to manage resources wisely and provide service, even if those services go outside the traditional boundaries of the institution.
MOOCS AND MEDICINE Although many universities are rushing to join the MOOC world, it appears that medical schools are being more cautious. Harder notes that “to date, no medical school or pre-med program seems to have offered academic credit for a MOOC.”12 Prober and Heath make an excellent case for a “flipped classroom,” where students watch lectures outside of class and use class time for more engaged learning,13 noting significant improvement in test scores, attendance in class, and student course reviews. But that engaged learning portion of their plan is missing from the MOOC model, and it is doubtful that discussion forums are a suitable replacement. As Davies says, “lecture style didactics—or ‘content delivery,’ in the parlance of the web—are just one small piece of the overall learning experience in medicine.”14 Only so much can be taught via lecture. Medicine is as much about relating to patients as it is memorizing material, and teaching those relationship skills with video lectures and discussion forums would be very difficult. One area of medicine that may be radically affected by MOOCs is Continuing Medical Education. CME is a requirement for most physicians, and the idea of being able to participate in online courses at their convenience is bound to be appealing. Industry funding of CME activities is in a
Downloaded by [Selcuk Universitesi] at 10:38 23 December 2014
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89
steep decline, and fewer physicians have the budget to travel.15 Harder noted that Coursera now offers two courses that can be counted as CME, “as long as students seeking CME pay a modest fee and submit to an optional process for identity verification.”12 As budgets continue to tighten, MOOCs could be a replacement for in-person CME courses. Another area of medicine that MOOCs may radically change is patient education. Volandes et al. noted that assigning patients to watch online videos prior to their appointments with physicians would allow for more of the patient encounter to be spent clarifying their questions and making decisions rather than lecturing.16 They also noted that creating MOOCs for patient education materials would have the benefit of standardizing what patients are being taught, removing variation among providers. Another advantage to creating MOOCs for patient education is that they might provide a built-in support community. If confidentiality could be ensured, well-moderated discussion forums could allow patients to find support from others in their peer group. MOOCs could also provide a useful method for updating patients about ongoing research and delivering reminders.
CONCLUSION MOOCs have the potential to bring education to millions who otherwise would not have access. The combination of short video lectures, frequent comprehension testing, and active participation in an online community can be an effective learning tool for some students, but the registration-tocompletion ratio is likely to remain low. Librarians should be aware of this technology and consider participating in a MOOC to better understand how they work. Although MOOC technology is not yet widespread within medicine, it could prove useful for medical education.
MOOC RESOURCES •
•
Coursera is a for-profit company that partners with universities. Coursera provides hosting and user services, partner institutions provide the content, and profits are divided. Profits come from selling verifiable certificates of completion and transcripts for certain courses. Costs for this service average about 50 dollars per course. Udacity is a for-profit company that works directly with instructors. Udacity’s courses are focused on computer science. Course material is developed by academics, but produced and presented by Udacity staff, giving it a polished and uniform style. Profits are earned by charging for certificates of completion.
90 •
•
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•
Emerging Technologies
edX is a non-profit collaboration between Harvard and MIT. The site currently offers around 80 courses from more than 25 universities, many of them outside the United States. EdX plans to open source their platform and use data from their courses to study how students learn. Kahn Academy is a MOOC-like site aimed at middle and high-school students. It covers basic topics in math, science, art, and computer programming. Users earn virtual badges for completing tasks. Courses are all free. Udemy offers MOOCs on a wide variety of topics from academics and business to music production and game design. Course costs range from free to hundreds of dollars.
REFERENCES 1. McAuley, A., B. Stewart, G. Siemens, and D. Cormier. 2010. “The MOOC Model for Digital Practice.” https://oerknowledgecloud.org/sites/oerknowledgecloud.org/ files/MOOC_Final_0.pdf. 2. Ripley, A. “College Is Dead. Long Live College!” Time 180, no. 18 (October 29, 2012): 32–41. 3. Goodell, J. “Massive Open Online Courses.” MLA News 53, no. 9 (October 2013): 19. https://www.mlanet.org/members/pdf/news/2013/mlanews_2013_oct.pdf. 4. Kellogg, S. “Online Learning: How to Make a MOOC.” Nature 499, no. 7458 ( July 18, 2013): 369–371. 5. Lewin, Tamar. “Colleges Adapt Online Courses to Ease Burden.” The New York Times, April 29, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/education/collegesadapt-online-courses-to-ease-burden.html. 6. Liyanagunawardena, T.R., A.A. Adams, and S.A. Williams. “MOOCs: A Systematic Study of the Published Literature 2008–2012.” The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 14, no. 3 ( June 3, 2013): 202–227. 7. Oremus, W. “University Suspends Online Classes After More Than Half the Students Fail.” Slate (blog), July 19, 2013. http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_ tense/2013/07/19/san_jose_state_suspends_udacity_online_classes_after_students_ fail_final.html. 8. Becker, B.W. “Connecting MOOCs and Library Services.” Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian 32, no. 2 (2013): 135–138. doi:10.1080/01639269.2013.787383. 9. Association of Research Libraries. Massive Open Online Courses: Legal and Policy Issues for Research Libraries (Issue Brief). October 2012. http://www.arl.org/ storage/documents/publications/issuebrief-mooc-22oct12.pdf. 10. Wright, F. “What Do Librarians Need to Know About MOOCs?” D-Lib Magazine 19, no. 3/4 (March/April 2013). http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march13/wright/03wright. html. 11. OCLC. MOOCs and Libraries: Massive Opportunity or Overwhelming Challenge? March 18, 2013. http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/events/2013/03-18moocsnext-steps.pdf.
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12. Harder, B. “Are MOOCs the Future of Medical Education?” British Medical Journal 346 (April 26, 2013): f2666. doi:10.1136/bmj.f2666. 13. Prober, C.G., and C. Heath. “Lecture Halls Without Lectures—A Proposal for Medical Education.” New England Journal of Medicine 366, no. 18 (May 3, 2012): 1657–1659. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1202451. 14. Davies, E. “Will MOOCs Transform Medicine?” British Medical Journal 346 (May 3, 2013): f2877. doi:10.1136/bmj.f2877. 15. Steinman, M.A., C.S. Landefeld, and R.B. Baron. “Industry Support of CME— Are We at the Tipping Point?” New England Journal of Medicine 366, no. 12 (2012): 1069–1071. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1114776. 16. Volandes, A.E., W.J. Kennedy, A.D. Davis, M.R. Gillick, and M.K. PaascheOrlow. “The New Tools: What 21st Century Education Can Teach Us.” Healthcare 1, nos. 3–4 (December 2013): 79–81.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Matthew B. Hoy, MLIS ([email protected]) is Supervisor of Library and Media Support Services, Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire, 1221 Whipple Street, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
