Exactly how is personalization operationalized with the design & delivery of open courses?

A study was conducted to better understand how massive open online courses (MOOC) instructors adapt their courses to enhance or personalize MOOC design and delivery. This study explored the activities, tools, and resources that instructors of MOOCs used to improve the personalization of their MOOCs. Following email interviews with 22 MOOC and open education leaders, regarding MOOC personalization, a questionnaire was developed and completed by 152 MOOC instructors from around the world. While more than 8 in 10 respondents claimed heavy involved in designing their MOOCs, only one-third placed extensive effort on meeting unique learner needs during the actual design of that course and even fewer were concerned with personalization during the delivery of it. An array of instructional practices, technology tools, and content resources were leveraged by instructors to personalize MOOC-based learning environments. Aligning with previous research, the chief resources and tools employed in their MOOCs were discussion forums, video lectures, supplemental readings, and practice quizzes. Additionally, self-monitoring and peer-based methods of learner feedback were more common than instructor monitoring and/or feedback. Some respondents mentioned the use of flexible deadlines, proposed alternatives to course assignments, and introduced multimedia elements, mobile applications, and guest speakers among the ways in which they personalized their massive courses. A majority of the respondents reported modest or high interest in learning new techniques to personalize their next MOOC offering.

Keywords: massive open online courses (MOOCs), personalization, instructional design, open course, instructors

Interested in learning more? Check out the forthcoming publication.

Bonk, C. J., Zhu, M., Kim, M., Xu, S., Sabir, N., & Sari, A. (in press). Pushing toward a more personalized MOOC: Exploring instructor selected activities, resources, and technologies for MOOC design and implementation. The International Review of Research on Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL).

Abstract adapted from article

 

Last Looks Out The Window

8 months from now I will be presenting my Dossier II. In our department, Dossier presentations are much like oral examination consisting of formal presentation (15 mins.) followed by an inquisition (30 mins.) and then faculty members leave the room – to decide your fate. Well this was my last set of presentations to watch before I have to present my own. There were a couple of things I learned (and many more I re-acknowledged), and I wanted to share a couple of my musings.
The need to concentrate and focus – despite the plethora of research topics, researchers need to pick concentrations and focus – they need to build upon the common feedback. There are so many areas of this to which I agree, but many more to which I am reserved in claiming specificity. It seems that the more I focus on a singular research topic the more information about the field at large I seem to lose.
And, I think that this is especially going to be a problem for me…in my presentation. I have a variety of research interest across diverse contexts, and I am fearful that my contexts are going to throw the review committee, where the contexts are going to matter more than the questions…I don’t see my scatterbrainedness as a determent, I think it gives me an edge, makes me more marketable.
If I had to define a research area, it would be making professionals/instructors even better at their job. Yes, that’s it! Everything I have done has been for the development of professionals, whether it has been teaching W200 or working on the PFF conference. There seems to be this underlying trend of trying to enhance the experience of future (and current) instructors but giving them opportunity to develop a particular skill set. Well, at least I think that is a common trend…perhaps I need to mull over it a bit more.
The other two concepts that struck me were the need to be consistent with word choice, and admitting to the gasps and areas of improvement. I think “it required further investigation,” is going to become a new favorite phrase. It becomes unrealistic to assume that you are going to be able to address all aspects of a particular research project…and, I don’t think students should fudge their responses, rather admitting to faults openly allows greater conversation (sometimes).
Another point that was made very clear: the need to tell a cohesive story. For the career shifters out there, this might be a bit harder. But, I think, that it is important to relate your research interests to your experiences and past. Sometimes more important that describing what you hope to achieve, is explaining your past and describing how your past changed you today.
And before I forget, I thought my peers had brilliant graphics displaying their research projects and teaching agendas. So I thought I would make my own, see below!

Teaching Experience

For the full interactive experience  

Grey literature on teaching pre-service educators @ IU

Welcome to the teaching diary of an Indiana University doctoral student. To teach is to learn and hopefully these ruminations will track my journey as I prepare future educators in Bloomington, Indiana to best use technology in their classrooms. This site is home to many musings and rants as I reflect upon not only my teaching methods but also what I have learned as an instructor.
I encourage any and all to become a part of the discussion.