ALTMOOC SIG Conference – No Way Back – 6th November 2013
This is a summary (via twitter #altmoocsig thoughts and Storify) of the ALTMOOC SIG Conference which took place at the University of Southampton on 6th November 2013.
The day was a one-off conference to discuss all aspects of Moocs and contained a variety of musings on the current state and purpose of Moocs.
Overall, the conference provided some insight into both how institutions and individuals are running MOOCs as well as an an overview of the ethos of newest Mooc platform in the UK (FutureLearn) is being positioned.
Pertinent questions and thoughts to come out of the conference for me were:
- Are the rise of MOOC platforms a challenge or opportunity? (Edx, FutureLearn)
- Different approaches (OER/Profit/Recruitment) MOOCS are being used for. Connectivist (Edinburgh) versus linear (FutureLearn)
- Socialisation of MOOC experience seems key to enabling real learning together, rather than just all working through linear course materials simultaneously but with hardly any connection to other learners.
- MOOC-like activity has been going on for years beforehand within distance learning courses via VLEs… what has changed with MOOCs (apart from the ‘massive)?
- Change is opening up of resources from behind walls
- Has something been lost with the Massive (i.e. point 2 above – socialisation/community?)
- Should MOOCs being continued as an areas for activity or will this evolve into something else – SPOCs? and also Udacity moving away from straight education to training?
- Devils advocate thought…. Original #moocs are connectivist? New wave/platform approach is not? Is this bad or just diff?
- Challenge: How can we bring content together from different moocs or platforms. Is this possible with commercialisation of HE
- MOOC sequences #moocs the next generation?
- MOOCS can be used to blend on-campus activity to flip the classroom.
- Knowledge isn’t everything – it is everywhere and can be given away for free but the experience is key and most valuable
- Uses of technology: Don’t create a new @facebook to use in#education just use Facebook! #altmoocsig
Musing on each session – specifically:
FutureLearn (Simon Nelson)
- Important to know that FutureLearn is not just a platform for moocs but online learning
- FutureLearn has prioritised social learning… Ability to share together. Finer discussions and interactions coming later
- What are the right metrics to measure success or failure in FutureLearn #moocs good question!
MOOCs, what makes ‘good’? (Helena Gillespie)
- How much does a Mooc cost? Could be 50K – or much less. depends on platform and aims.
- A large amount of change needed to shift to creating and running a #MOOC
- Breakthrough in Uni processes and admin to support moocs activity
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“dont underestimate the power of nosiness” “lurking is okay”
Looking Beyond the Hype – MOOCs as Catalysts of Major Educational Change’ (Amy Woodgate)
- Edingburgh focused on OER and sharing… a more connectivist approach
- Lots of moocs live activity has been going on for years before MOOCs came along
- A step change happening as a result of#mooc past areas that have been skipped (e.g. online learning) now revisited
Using MOOCs to enhance on-campus education – experience, lessons, and research opportunities (Doug Fisher)
- MOOCS can be used to blend on-campus activity to flip the classroom.
- Use of community in MOOCS
- Avoid #mooc traps. Material needs supporting when used as part of a f2f course.Don’t forget your teacher role
Jonathan Worth, BA and MA course director Photography
- Uses of technology: Don’t create a new @facebook to use in#education just use Facebook! #altmoocsig
‘Show me the data! Actionable insight from open courses’ Martin Hawksey
- Need to find data or have access to it in order to analyse it
- The data also needs to be the one you need
- Both of the above can be issues
Storify Summary of the day:
ALTMOOC SIG Conference 6th November 2013
The ALTMOOC SIG first conference hosted by the University of Southampton.
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Looking forward to meeting everyone tomorrow at the #altmoocsig conference – No Way Back indeed! http://www.alt.ac.uk/events/no-way-back-exploring-impact-data-and-potential-moocs …
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10.45-11.15 Session 2: Simon Nelson – Chief Executive, Futurelearn
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Next presenter: Simon Nelson – Chief Executive, Futurelearn. Watch live starting at 10.45 today http://go.alt.ac.uk/1aElFFj #altmoocsig #altc
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Just arrived @unisouthampton for #altmoocsig conference. Better late than never. Got 2nd to last parking spot. Now to engage brain.
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<Learning> #altmoocsig – https://db.tt/JQqv7bX4 ^MB
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Simon Nelson from @FutureLearn talking about FutureLearn so far #altmoocsig
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Important to know that FutureLearn is not just a platform for moocs but online learning #altmoocsig
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FutureLearn hoping to bring something new to the online learning / #mooc party. Mobile learning focused as starting point #altmoocsig
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Important to get basics right for FutureLearn. Ready to scale. Compared to Frankenstein growth of online plats at bbc frm 1997 #altmoocsig
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FutureLearn has prioritised social learning… Ability to share together. Finer discussions and interactions coming later #altmoocsig
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The @FutureLearn platform is impressive already but their roadmap will make it competitive to replacing VLEs such as @moodle #altmoocsig
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What are the right metrics to measure success or failure in FutureLearn #moocs good question! #altmoocsig
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#altmoocsig question about English only in @FutureLearn t&cs – not meant to be draconian and want to be open to other languages
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@helenauea please share 🙂
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2nd question about 3rd world accessibility and partnership with BBC – will they broadcast @FutureLearn courses? #altmoocsig
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Digital divide question popping up again… #moocs and online education now makes access even more important #altmoocsig
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11.15-11.45 Panel session 1
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Panel discussion underway until 11:45, watch it live on http://go.alt.ac.uk/1aElFFj #altmoocsig #altc
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Can #MOOCs @FutureLearn help bring learning to the people in the world who are not connected/online @Nkbe1 #bbc #rwanda #altmoocsig #mobile
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QAA question is misdirected. This is an institutional issue. Nutbeam says the further away they are the better. #altmoocsig
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The ALT MOOC Special Interest Group will give you a network of support and expertise http://go.alt.ac.uk/17EtDy2 #altmoocsig #altc
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Q: What opportunities do MOOCs offer students for engaging with uni libraries, museums etc #altmoocsig
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.@MarenDeepwell “who will actually be the content creators, the learning designers, the delivery platform makers of the future?” #altmoocsig
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#altmoocsig Simon Nelson #futurelearn is sticking to league-table based partner selection approach.
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11.45-12.15 Session 3: Helena Gillespie, Senior Lecturer in Education and Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of East Anglia
‘MOOCs, what makes ‘good’?’
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“dont underestimate the power of nosiness” “lurking is okay” #altmoocsig #digichamps
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@helenauea building a #mooc team. 8 acads. 1 learning technologist. 1 admin support #altmoocsig multiple models/approaches? @LT_tech_HE
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@helenauea a large amount of change needed to shift to creating and running a #MOOC… And that’s just engagement from acads #altmoocsig
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“emails generate traffic to the site” #altmoocsig “video messages create educator presence” #digichamps
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@paigecuffe at least that has been discussed openly by HEIs MOOC teams
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#altmoocsig trending on twitter – keep it up !
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“Cognitive Surplus” Clay Shirky – recommended book by Helena Gillespie (@helenauea) http://go.alt.ac.uk/1aElFFj #altmoocsig #altc
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@helenauea #moocs and the changes needed is not what we do…. Breakthrough in Uni processes and admin to support moocs activity #altmoocsig
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@paigecuffe no, sorry meant I totally agree that no one has discussed it 🙂
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13.15-13.45 Session 4: Amy Woodgate, Project Coordinator Distance Education Initiative (DEI) & MOOCs, University of Edinburgh
‘Looking Beyond the Hype – MOOCs as Catalysts of Major Educational Change’
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#FutureLearn‘s CEO Simon Nelson keynote today at the UK #ALTmoocSIG (1:18:30) http://bit.ly/17M994t #mooc
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@PaulHollins or to flip this q. How many have only supported them with an aim of some roi? #altmoocsig
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@jimjamyahauk devils advocate…. Original #moocs are connectivist? New wave/platform approach is not? Is this bad or just diff #altmoocsig
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@amywoodgate lots of #mooc -like activity has been going on for years. Change is opening up of resources from behind walls #altmoocsig
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“@A_L_T: 13.45 Doug Fisher: “Using MOOCs to enhance on-campus education” http://go.alt.ac.uk/1aElFFj #altmoocsig #altc” @LT_tech_HE relevant…
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@amywoodgate a step change happening as a result of #mooc past areas that have been skipped (e.g. online learning) now revisited #altmoocsig
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For those remote #altmoocsig can view the hangout as a seperate channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I94JjRCTk8o …
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Nuts and bolts in video but prefers ‘inspirational’ lectures to be face to face @DougOfNashville talking at #altmoocsig #übercool #lovingit
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It is no way back for MOOC technologies – we have a Special Interest Group that can help you http://go.alt.ac.uk/17EtDy2 #altmoocsig #altc
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13.45-14.15 Session 5 (virtual keynote): Doug Fisher, Director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Digital Learning
‘Using MOOCs to enhance on-campus education – experience, lessons, and research opportunities’
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@DougOfNashville teaching from PowerPoint has become an old fashioned approach… Rejuvenate nuts and boots lectures online #altmoocsig
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@mattlingard @DougOfNashville @mhawksey lets screenshare the screenshare…. Like pointing a camera at the tv.
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@altmoocsig @GoogleHangout @DougOfNashville love google hangouts. Great for peer support in learning too
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@DougOfNashville wants to draw on multitude of content for next #moocs content beyond individuals or institutions #altmoocsig
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Challenge: How can we bring content together from different #moocs or platforms. Is this possible with commercialisation of HE #altmoocsig
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MOOC sequences #moocs the next generation? #altmoocsig
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@DougOfNashville avoid #mooc traps. Material needs supporting when used as part of a f2f course.Don’t forget your teacher role #altmoocsig
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The open licensing is enabling the culture of remixing and reusing others’ content, #AltMOOCSIG
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@amywoodgate indeed… Hierarchical structures and insecurity?
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#altmoocsig the product isn’t the knowledge it’s the learning experience @Jonathan_Worth
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Knowledge isn’t everything – it is everywhere and can be given away for free but the experience is key and most valuable #altmoocsig
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so MOOCs area freemium model? #altmoocsig
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14.15-14.45 Session 6 (virtual keynote): Jonathan Worth, BA and MA course director in Photography, Coventry University
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“@glittrgirl:Learning openly people helpful and forgiving @Jonathan_Worth #altmoocsig” <but it won’t be forever #ShowMeTheBusinessModel MT
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@Jonathan_Worth #altmoocsig – talking about being a good digital citizen and how it makes sense to collaborate
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Community happens around a nexus…. But you can build and they won’t necessarily come… But you can try and enable this #altmoocsig
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@georgeroberts @mhawksey @Jonathan_Worth normally no, but this works really well as interactive questions after.
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14.45-15.15 Refreshments
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15.15-15.45 Session 7: Martin Hawksey, Innovation and Technology Manager, ALT
‘Show me the data! Actionable insight from open courses’
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@mhawksey livestreaming from #altmoocsig – “Show me the data! Actionable insight from open courses” http://bit.ly/1b5jxos
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@mhawksey – showing snip of film about how learning analytics support assessment effectiveness #altmoocsig
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Daphne Koller of coursera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc8Yl094KOA … @mhawksey shows us how data can visualise problems in MOOCs #Digichamps #altmoocsig
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Hawksey: To engage in analytics, you first need to access the data (permission?) … and it be the data you want #altmoocsig
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Fullcontact useful for good and/or stalking @mhawksey #altmoocsig
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15.45-16.15 Panel session 2
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Well done to @fionajharvey driving force behind #altmoocsig , and to @jimjamyahauk for the online community – join at http://altmoocsig.learningtechnologist.co.uk/
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Longest continuous ever drive 4hrs30min & amount of driving in one day 8 1/2ish hours. St. Ives to Southampton and back again. #alongjourney
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Great event #altmoocsig conf today. Lots of areas & ideas to explore. Now back in St. Ives after 4hr30min drive. Well worth it. @A_L_T
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Further Information
- Recordings from the conference are now available via the ALT YouTube Channel.
- Slides from the conference are available from the ALT Repository.
- A programme of the day is available from the conference webpage.
- I look after the SIG Website – altmoocsig.learningtechnlogist.co.uk – in conjunction with Mira Vogel.