A MOOC Is Freakin' Awesome Only If The Learner Gets Something Out Of It

Massive Open Online Courseware (MOOCS) are online courses that are -in theory- open to large groups of learners and use a blend of different training methods to make the curriculum meaningful, worthwhile and robust. The courses are housed on a platform that provides participants with a seamless learning experience.

Discussions about the MOOC phenomenon spotlight the hype about the technology behind the platform. The methods used to create content that makes a MOOC effective is often left out of the conversation.

Sure the platforms are impressive. You can set up a course that includes videos, eLearning, virtual classroom, podcasts, discussion groups, articles, and other written content. The platforms allow for live sessions and assessments. It's all trackable, verifiable, and measurable.

We tend to think if we build a MOOC, people will flock to it because it's a freakin' awesome, cool way to train and to learn. What we often forget when we get caught up in imagining the possibilities of the MOOC is that it's freakin' awesome only if the learner gets something out of it. It maximizes value if learners complete it, not just sample it and disappear.



Early MOOC roll outs boasted huge numbers of participants, but a low percentage finished. Some defenders of the MOOC claim it was because learners got what they needed out of it and moved on. Skeptics joked that the M in MOOC refered to the massive amount of content pushed and the major time burden on the student.

Whatever the reason, a MOOC is only as good as the individual learner's experience. That doesn't mean you present a bunch of videos just because they are fun. It suggests that you try to design a program that focuses on the learner. This requires us to concentrate on making learning engaging, and thinking about the best ways to make sure that the learning sticks after the course is over.

We know that content is most effectively delivered when the learner sees a clear connection between what they are learning and what they need to do. Learners learn best when they are not overloaded with information. This doesn't require us to water down content, it only means that you have to think about how much content you present and whether the learner will drift off at the five minute mark.

To make sure the MOOCS we create are worth the participant's time and effort, we need to take the time to plan the learner experience. It involves using short form content as a starting point for learning, not as a substitute for it. Sometimes it helps to create incentives to encourage the learner to continue. It's about putting ourselves in the learners shoes.

We do not let the learner passively absorb what we throw at them. It is necessary to challenge them, make them do, make them work, have them solve the problems they would need to in the real world. We need to create experiences that allow them to learn from other participants, as well as have them teach others.