Rica Angela B.

Taub ED 31- B

Online Learning Through MOOCs

Overview
This episode provides you the opportunity to use your computer skills to explore online learning through
MOOCs.

Intended Learning Outcomes

This episode must enable you to identify MOOCs that aligh with the NCBTS, choose MOOCs that will
contribute to one’s own professional development, and explain how MOOCs can be a tool for lifelong
learning.

Performance Criteria
You will be rated for the following:
• quality of observations and documentation,
• completeness and depth analysis,
• depth and clarity of classroom observation-based reflection,  completeness, organization,
clarity of portfolio, and  time of submission.

Learning Essentials
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are online courses open to a big group of people. Below is the
basic information about MOOCs. Let us focus on each word:

Massive
 MOOCs are online courses designed for a large number of participants, usually larger than the
number of students that can fit a regular classroom. There can be hundreds or even be a
thousand students or more.

Open
• There is mostly freedom of place, pace and time.
• Courses can be accessed by anyone anywhere as long as they have internet connection.
• Courses are open to everyone without entry qualifications.
• Some courses are for free.

Online
• All aspects of the course are delivered online

Course
• Educational content. May include video, audio, text, games, simulations, social media and
animation
 • Facilitation interaction among peers. Builds a learning community through opportunities to
interact
• Some interaction with the teacher or academic staff
• Activities/tasks, tests, including feedback. Participants are provided with some feedback
mechanism. Can be automatically generated like quizzes, feedback from peers or the teacher.
• Some kind of (non-formal) recognition options. It includes some kind of recognition like badges
or certificate of completion. A formal certificate is optional and most likely has to be paid for.
• A study guide/syllabus. This includes instructions as to how you may learn from the materials
and interactions presented.

(Based on Definition Massive Open Online Courses v1.1 licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0)

There are many MOOC providers like edX, Coursera, Udacity, Udemy, Iversity, and Futurelearn. You will
have a chance to explore them as you go through this episode.

Map
To realize my Intended Learning Outcomes, work your way through these steps:

Step 1
Review the seven domains of
NCBTS and identify competencies
I like to develop more.

Step 2
Visit sites of MOOC providers and
explore the courses offered that are
relevant to NCBTS domains I want to
work on.

Step 3
Reflect on how I can continue
developing my skills through
MOOCs.
Tips
Write your personal notes here:

- Search for MOOCS

- Find courses related to teaching
- Check course description and objectives
- Check syllabus
- Put in FS Episode 5

Tools
1. Get a copy of the NCBTS and go over the competencies.
2. On the second column, write the competencies you like to work on.
3. Search for MOOCs in the internet which are relevant to the competencies you identified.
https://www.teachthought.com/archived/list -75-moocs-teachers-students/
https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/moocs-best-teachers-free-online%20courses.shtml
http://www.mooc-list.com/categories/teacher-professional-development
4. Indicate the MOOC provider. You might need to create an account in the different MOOC
providers to explore their MOOCs.

Competencies I want to MOOCs related to the competency/ies

NCBTS Domain (Include a short description) MOOC Provider
work on

Teamwork/Collaborati
on

Teamwork Skills: Communicating

Effectively in Groups
1. Social Regard
In this course you will learn to: make better
for Learning
decisions, be more creative and innovative,
manage conflict and work with difficult
group members, negotiate for preferred
outcomes, improve group communication in
virtual environments, develop a better
overall understanding of human interaction,
and work more effectively as a team.
 Problem Solving

2. The Learning
Environment Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills

Develop your ability to tackle complex

problems in the workplace using known
analytical problem solving techniques,
design thinking, and effective research.

Sensibility
Lea
ding for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in
Higher Education
3. Diversity of
Learners This course is open to professionals
interested in learning more about
leadership in higher education for a
changing demographic or interested in
developing their own leadership skills.

Critical Thinking

4. Curriculum
Critical thinking: reasoned decision making

Learn to analyze events with intellectual

rigor. Identify how reasoned decisions help
cope with change.

5.Planning,
Assessment Decision Making
and
Reporting

Decision Making: How to Choose the Right

Problem to Solve
 Build personal problem-solving skills and
learn how to make an effective plan to
tackle real-life problems and decisions.

Communication

Improving Communication Skills

Learn how to communicate more effectively

6. Community at work and achieve your goals. Taught by
Linkages award-winning Wharton professor and best-
selling author Maurice Schweitzer,
Improving Communications Skills is an
essential course designed to give you both
the tools you need to improve your
communication skills, and the most
successful strategies for using them to your
advantage.

Time Management

Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time

Management for Personal & Professional
7. Personal Productivity
Growth and
You will be able to gain and apply your
Professional
knowledge and understanding of personal
Developmen
and professional awareness, organization
t and commitment, and use the tools,
methods and techniques that you have
learned in goal setting, prioritization,
scheduling, and delegation to overcome
time management challenges and enhance
productivity.
Analysis

1. MOOC Title _Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills

Provider: edX
Objectives of the MOOC:

What you will learn

 How to frame problems using a systematic, repeatable process
 How to develop and test solutions using the 80/20 rule
 How to identify user needs and develop solutions to meet them
 How to use design thinking to generate ideas and discover creative solutions
 How to plan and execute primary and secondary research
 How to design and build effective surveys

Content Outline:

Section 0: Course Introduction

Review course logistics, including the course overview, schedule, components, grading, and support.

Section 1: Problem Solving

Learn strategies and techniques that will enable you to effectively problem solve using a systematic,
repeatable process.

Section 2: Design Thinking

Familiarize yourself with the design thinking process and learn how to develop innovative, game-
changing ideas.

Section 3: Research Methods

Master how to plan and execute effective research, including how to design effective surveys and user
tests.

Section 4: Final Assessment and Course Recap

Demonstrate your mastery of the course content in the final assessment.

Why did you pick this MOOC?

This will help me as a student, as a pre-service teacher and even when I become a teacher since it
teaches problem solving and critical thinking skills. The course is also systematic and includes theories
that are applicable in real life.
2. MOOC Title _Decision Making: How to Choose the Right Problem to Solve __

Provider: Futurelearn
Objectives of the MOOC:

What you will learn

 Evaluate personal skills for problem solving
 Describe how problems exist in wider contexts
 Develop an idea to approach a real life problem
 Explore methods to minimise risk and turn ideas into plans
 Explain the importance of the wider impact when proposing solutions
 Produce a plan that persuades others your solution will work

Content Outline:

Week 1: Finding problems and solutions

 Problem-solving skills
 Finding a problem to solve
 Choose the best solution

Week 2: Understanding and selling your solution

 Looking for risks
 Pitching your idea
 Making your plan
 Summary

Why did you pick this MOOC?

Decision making is a skill that needs to be honed especially when I become a part of the academe where
a lot of decisions have to be made. This course will help me think rationally and wisely as I make
decisions especially decisions that involve the lives of my students. Real life problems are heavy and
inevitable so good decision making will be useful.

3. MOOC Title _Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity

Provider: Coursera
Objectives of the MOOC:

What you will learn

  Plan effectively to achieve your personal and professional goals
 Recognize and overcome barriers to successful time management
 Keep your sense of perspective to prevent and manage crises
 Manage resources effectively and efficiently

Content Outline:

Week 1: Smart Work Habits Just Don't Happen

Week 2: Time Is the Most Limited Resource
Week 3: Little Tips That Make a Big Impact
Week 4: Let's Bring It All Together

Why did you pick this MOOC?

The course title is promising and the time management training they offer is both for personal and
professional productivity. It will be useful now and for the future. I think I have good time management
skills because I focused on my academics and at the same time work in the library as a student assistant
but it will further be enhanced through this course.

Reflections/Insights

1. How can MOOCs help you in your future career as a professional teacher and as a lifelong
learner?

It will help me to learn and hone essential skills needed of a teacher. It will also help me in getting a
promotion because other enrollees have been promoted in the statistics of most courses. The learning
also continues because I can enroll for free in some courses.
 2. What did you learn from the way providers use technology to teach in MOOCs?

Learning is now more accessible and open to a wider range of people, not only the elite but also those
who can have access to technology. Back then only the elite can go to prestigious universities. But
thanks to technology, I was able to enroll in University of London through their MOOC for interactive
teaching. This advancement should not be a reason or an excuse to stop learning because the advent of
the internet and technology has paved way for learning to be available for almost everyone.

3. How will you prepare yourself for MOOCs, as a learner, and as a teacher who may someday
teach a MOOC?

As a learner, I will prepare myself for MOOCs by researching beforehand and trying to find the best
MOOC that would suit me and my needs. Time and money are top factors that have to be taken into
consideration when it comes to online learning in my personal opinion. As a teacher who may teach a
MOOC someday, I will prepare by being aware of how things work in the online learning world. I have to
know how to deliver the content expected of me and how to address the varying needs of my students
without compromising the lesson. It has to be time-bound, easy to understand, and able to impart
valuable knowledge to the enrollees so that they an have the value for their money.

Learning Portfolio
Make a listing of MOOC providers (Coursera, edX, Udemy, Udacity, etc.). Under each one, include the
most relevant MOOCs they offer for teachers. You may print their icons and course listings. Highlight the
ones you want to enroll in the future. Or if it is already possible, enroll in one MOOC and document here
what you learn and maybe paste your certificate of completion here (optional).

Coursera

I want to enroll in the course

in the yellow box called
Foundations of Teaching for
Learning: Being a Teacher. I
think this will help me to
become a teacher especially
 Coursera

I enrolled in the course inside the green box called Get Interactive: Practical Teaching
with Technology. The course is about ways to get the students engaged in the lesson.
There were a lot of teaching strategies that would make the interaction of the students
and the teacher fun. Some of them are through videos, podcasts, infographics, even
Twitter.

edX

I want to enroll in the

course called
Introduction to Online
and Blended Teaching.
The academe is evolving
with the times and
situation we are in. Now
that we have online
classes, I think it is also
useful to know how to
teach virtually because it
 Udemy

I want to enroll in the

course called Teach
English Online: find
students and start
teaching now because it
can give me new ideas
about being a teacher in
the future and it can also
help me generate
income. I also want to
enroll in TEFL Essentials:
Teaching English as a
Foreign Language
because if there are
opportunities to teach
abroad where salary is
more appealing, I would
be prepared in a way.

Udacity

I want to enroll in the

courses called Craft Your
Cover Letter and Refresh
Your Resume because it will
be very helpful before I
apply for a job. This will aid
me in building my resume
and creating a cover letter.
These are essential when