MobiMOOC Week 3: Why MOOC?

WEEK 3

I'm enrolled in three-week-long MobiMOOC 2012 right now, and am taking it for two knowledge-based reasons (goals?)--to learn more about the use  of Mobile Devices and to become better with my participation skills in the MOOC course experience.

My participation has been less than stellar. I have one badge so far, and my actually earn a second. 

The organization is quite good, but I've had trouble finding some topics to post two after a week has gone by.

WHY OFFER A MOOC?

Knowing I was participating in a MOOC, a colleague emailed this week about an internal discussion they were having about MOOC offerings--she asked for some thoughts, so here goes:

I'd ask what the institution wishes to gain from offering a MOOC? Prof Dev/continuous learning

for a workforce? The appearance of offering a cutting edge model? Recruitment potential? Why do faculty members come forward and ask to offer MOOCs? Given the existing MOOCs, if a student came forward with the highest badge of MOOC completion, which current MOOC courses would your institution accept? (CSU Global is now accepting Udacity's Intro to Computer Science: Building a Search Engine for Credt: http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/09/06/csu-global-offers-transfer-credit-for-udacity-class/.)

I also included a link to a Higher Ed discussion about the use of MOOCs for Dev Ed. Though Dev Ed is the course topic. I thought it offered some other good thinking points--ones being use of MOOC curriculumm in hybrid models: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/09/14/gates-foundation-solicits-remedial-moocs

MOOC LEARNER VALUE

That said, I note that I feel more enthusiastic when I start to read and respond to others remarks, and to view the webinars. I tend to need time to think about things before I write; and I also know I'm burnt out on the amount of textworld I've been dealing with. 

Excuses aside, I congratulate Inge Ingatia de Waaard for providing this learning opportunity. I have at least one more post related directly related to the mobimooc topic-- the course did inspire me to interview a woman who is training others in the use of Ipad and Itouch devices and apps to support self-management and independence by users with brain injuries and memory issues.