Leadership in Distance Education

The University of Tasmania's free online course on dementia has hit a chord.

Examining MOOC’s: A Comparative Study Among Educational Technology Experts in Traditional and Open Universities,  authors Cabrera and Fernandez-Ferrer examine the results of five areas of “pedagogical advantages and limitations” ( Cabrera, 2017) differences between open online learning in massive online open courses and traditional collegiate learning according to professors that teach each mode respectively.

While traditional professors found MOOC’s lacking in qualitative learning, professors of online learning saw this as an evolution in an already progressing movement. Traditional and online professors both emphasized the assessment component of measurable learning. The exact role of tutors was another point of consternation debated. Strategies were also provided by the authors to validate MOOC courses.

Of the 16 traditional professors and 11 online professors most agreed that the availably of resources was a beneficial to higher education to anyone, but were quick to point out that while the courses were available, but were the students ready? There is almost an understated bias that traditional professors view online learning as subpar education while current online teachers are more open to the MOOC’s idea of information dissemination.

This reading was integral to my general knowledge of distance education modes. As I begin learning about distance education and e-learning outside my own scope I find it necessary to compartmentalize the different types; i.e. Europe’s open universities, America’s online colleges and MOOC’s. The assertion of this article that MOOC’s are going to be utilized, or even create another wave in distance education throughout all modes, and it is a fascinating thought.

 

Cabrara, N., & Fernandez-Ferrer, M. (2017). Examining MOOCs: A Comparative Study among Educational Technology Experts in Traditional and Open Universities. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 47-67.

Via Lucinda O'Harran