“This is where it’s going.” We all hear the rumblings of some sweeping changes in higher education, and it sounds like they are poised to happen soon. Classes, degree programs, and even entire colleges are being taken online at a rapid pace. For professors who’ve been at it a long time, it can seem like an unbelievable burden to have to learn so much new technology in order to stay current in the classroom. This is separate from their own pursuits in scholarship, or their teaching loads, and often has to be treated as just one more thing to do. A truly effective teaching tool might be overlooked, because the professor simply doesn’t have the time to learn how to use it effectively.

Make no mistake, online teaching is a different animal than a face to face class. Continue reading →

In her post, A Rectangle is Not a Square, Melissa Koenig describes some of the differences between what most universities consider online courses and the newer model of MOOCs (massive open online courses). While I know it’s important to understand these differences when looking at the big picture of online education today, I’m also curious about the similarities. What can those of us developing and teaching online courses learn from MOOC design and delivery?

To get an inside look I enrolled in Model Thinking, offered on the Coursera platform. I almost couldn’t believe how easy it was to sign up and jump right into a University of Michigan course from my living room. As a course designer it is always a treat to peek into other institutions’ online courses. Typically you have to go to conference presentations to do this; I only had to provide a username and password. Imagine the shared learning that can take place when online course designers and instructors have such open access to one another’s materials. Of course there are intellectual-property and financial considerations, but ignoring these for a moment, it’s an opportunity to build on the success and innovation of others. Continue reading →