We learned back in 2012 that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were going to transform higher education. People all over the world, especially in underdeveloped nations, would be able to learn from the best university professors while sitting at home in front of their computers. Several companies entered the market with high expectations of earning enormous profits while altruistically educating students who couldn't afford to go to university.
What happened? I suspect you know the answer since the hype has dissipated and we don't hear much about MOOCs any more. One of the big players in the beginning was the edX platform created by Harvard and MIT. A recent study of that platform highlights what went wrong (Reich and Ruipérez-Valiente, 2019).
There are four main problems ....
Some of us aren't surprised by the failure of MOOCs because we lived through two other similar predictions: television in the 1960s, and computers in the 1980s. I suspect that some people thought that radio was also going to provide education for the masses. I suppose that each generation has to re-learn these lessons.
Here's how Reich and Ruipérez-Valiente conclude their analysis ...
What happened? I suspect you know the answer since the hype has dissipated and we don't hear much about MOOCs any more. One of the big players in the beginning was the edX platform created by Harvard and MIT. A recent study of that platform highlights what went wrong (Reich and Ruipérez-Valiente, 2019).
There are four main problems ....
- only a small percentage of students who enrolled in a course ever returned for a second course
- most students came from the world's most affluent countries
- course completion rates never rose above 10%
- course enrolment has been declining steadily after an initial rise from 2012-2015
Some of us aren't surprised by the failure of MOOCs because we lived through two other similar predictions: television in the 1960s, and computers in the 1980s. I suspect that some people thought that radio was also going to provide education for the masses. I suppose that each generation has to re-learn these lessons.
Here's how Reich and Ruipérez-Valiente conclude their analysis ...
The 6-year saga of MOOCs provides a cautionary tale for education policy-makers facing whatever will be the next promoted innovation in education technology, be it artificial intelligence or virtual reality or some unexpected new entrant. New education technologies are rarely disruptive but instead are domesticated by existing cultures and systems. Dramatic expansion of educational opportunities to underserved populations will require political movements that change the focus, funding, and purpose of higher education; they will not be achieved through new technologies alone.
Reich, J., and Ruipérez-Valiente, J.A. (2019) The MOOC pivot. Science, 363:130-131. [doi: 10.1126/science.aav7958]
