I came. I tried. I tweeted.
These Twitter reflections read like a stream of complaints. And in a way they are. But they serve another purpose: reminding me about the challenges around creating online learning experiences that are engaging and motivating.
I’m building online courses for students. Right now they’re on-demand and asynchronous. In the future I aim to move to a hybrid model. I’m constantly thinking about how we improve engagement in online learning.
A note on forums: Courses rely on forums as their interactive element. While there is interaction (in some forums), the experience isn’t enjoyable. In fact, it’s often more work. When I get stuck, I have to search for the correct forum and skim through elements to find my answer. And not all courses have active forums, as evidenced by the last tweet. This Coursera course had run before so most responses, if there were any, were old.
Well this is underwhelming. How can #MOOCs push so hard for certificates when all its good for is adding to your LinkedIn profile? #edtech pic.twitter.com/vv80dyWqi5
— Nicolle Merrill (@pdxnicolle) April 20, 2017
Whereas with #SMOC or traditional course I get instructor (expert) feedback which I trust more. Anyone exploring this? #MOOC #MOOCs #edtech
— Nicolle Merrill (@pdxnicolle) April 23, 2017
Once again it's Sunday and I'm riding that struggle bus to get #MOOC homework done before deadline. pic.twitter.com/X9Mo8EG3Gw
— Nicolle Merrill (@pdxnicolle) April 23, 2017
Smart move for institutions. But as a learner who is slogging through a #MOOC, I wonder about poor learning experiences. #highered https://t.co/Qg2dQ2MmLR
— Nicolle Merrill (@pdxnicolle) May 1, 2017
One of the most annoying things about @coursera: incorrect notifications about missing assignments. #MOOC pic.twitter.com/ywZl3KEHem
— Nicolle Merrill (@pdxnicolle) May 8, 2017
Using my #MOOC homework in a Social Computing course to suggest an improvement that addresses the lack of help in Coursera courses. pic.twitter.com/7hiVB5qpUV
— Nicolle Merrill (@pdxnicolle) May 22, 2017
Pretty much sums up my experience with this #MOOC. #emptiness pic.twitter.com/GEV4OND3KK
— Nicolle Merrill (@pdxnicolle) May 21, 2017