Potential benefits
The MoocGuide lists 12 benefits of a MOOC:
- You can organize a MOOC in any setting that has connectivity (which can include the Web, but also local connections via Wi-Fi e.g.)
- You can organize it in any language you like (taking into account the main language of your target audience)
- You can use any online tools that are relevant to your target region or that are already being used by the participants
- You can move beyond time zones and physical boundaries
- It can be organized as quickly as you can inform the participants (which makes it a powerful format for priority learning in e.g. aid relief)
- Contextualized content can be shared by all
- Learning happens in a more informal setting
- Learning can also happen incidentally thanks to the unknown knowledge that pops up as the course participants start to exchange notes on the course’s study
- You can connect across disciplines and corporate/institutional walls
- You don’t need a degree to follow the course, only the willingness to learn (at high speed)
- You add to your own personal learning environment and/or network by participating in a MOOC
- You will improve your lifelong learning skills, for participating in a MOOC forces you to think about your own learning and knowledge absorption
Challenges and criticisms
The MoocGuide lists 5 key challenges for moocs:
- It feels chaotic as participants create their own content
- It demands digital literacy
- It demands time and effort from the participants
- It is organic, which means the course will take on its own trajectory (you have got to let go).
- As a participant you need to be able to self-regulate your learning and possibly give yourself a learning goal to achieve.
source Wikipedia
