“ MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSES ” (MOOCs) – A DIGITAL ALTERNATIVE FOR EXPERT TRAINING
AUTHOR: ULRIKE WERNER – IJAB
The idea behind Massive Open Online Courses – MOOCs for short – is to give easy access to qualification opportunities for a large number of interested parties and thus strengthen the democratisation and globalisation of education.
The playful elements matched the non-formal char- acter of international youth work. Each learning unit could be finished with a quiz summarising and testing the key points. A virtual badge was awarded for each successfully completed quiz. The survey confirmed that the quizzes were a good way to break down the information. Sound concept design is key to staging a MOOC. The didactic structure should be easily comprehensible and focus on core aspects, just as with in-person training courses. However, in a MOOC the topics need to be presented in an especially clear and concise manner. Additional elements such as quizzes should also be considered and developed. Many people are less familiar with the second impor- tant aspect, namely technical implementation. This comprises video production as well as the selection of a learning platform, the design of the course envi - ronment and the uploading of materials. External assistance is recommended here. Ensuring good interaction in the forum is a particular challenge. Exchange amongst participants, sharing tips and discussing and overcoming fears are integral parts of any course. It is not easy to encourage this in a virtual space, too. MOOC organisers can therefore never be too attentive: to function as a port of call in the event of uncertainties, but also to initiate and moderate forum discussions. Appropriate resources should therefore be planned from the outset. The playful elements matched the non-formal character of international youth work.
At the heart of a MOOC is a virtual seminar room on a learning platform. Divided into weeks or modules, it provides short educational videos, links and materials, along with a forum for participants to interact with one another and with instructors. There may also be quizzes, worksheets and short exercises. IJAB carried out a six- week pilot MOOC on organising international exchanges for international youth work newcomers last year and evaluated it using a survey. The majority of the over 200 participants came from Germany, with several from Russia and Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Algeria, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, North Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Israel and Brazil. The international make-up of the group – surprising for a German-language MOOC – highlights the major advantage of the format: it is time zone- and location-independent. Survey participants also gave particularly positive feedback regarding the various learning locations, flexible timing, and the ability to learn at their own pace. There were clear favourites when it came to evaluating the various MOOC elements: links and material lists were rated “helpful” or “very helpful” by 96.16 % of those surveyed, with 76.93 % giving that rating for the videos, 60 % for the workbook, and 57.69 % for the quizzes. The exercises and the forum were deemed less helpful. However, it was apparent that partic - ipants used the elements that reflected their own personal interests, needs and learning styles. The responses concerning learning style were also interesting. Several participants stated how much they liked the text overlays in videos that highlighted the most important aspects; some would even have liked more overlays. Some said they would have liked to have the scripts to complement the videos.
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Contributions from practitioners
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