The explosion of technology in the 2000s is arguably the most distinctive characteristic of the 21st century and certainly students acquiring an education in this era are most attuned to this notion. Accordingly this explosion of technology has rendered the internet and computers more accessible and prevalent than ever before prompting an “anytime, anywhere” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) attitude to education. A recent newspaper article expresses the consequent “rising popularity of massive open online courses" (MOOCs) detailing its nuances and benefits in in comparison to traditional learning. These implication can be furthered and challenged by scholarly works which I intend to bring forth and make a personal judgment of its worth.
MOOCs from an optimistic standpoint can be viewed as a valuable tool to gain entry and access to a higher education program regardless of perhaps certain trivial elements such as place of residence and grades at school. So this demonstrates Gerwitz’s equality of opportunity by nullifying these subjective determinants of educational accessibility. (Gerwitz 1998) The utilisation of technology in MOOCs allows students to reap the benefits of the global database in the internet. Importantly this is beneficial as it provides, “tools for online discussion forums that provide another avenue for interaction and collaboration among students, and between students and teachers.” (Karena 2013) This would provide a medium for students also to help, support and share course information. Another advantage of “asynchronous learning” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) is it allows individual students with their inherent differing abilities to “work at their own pace” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) which is most advantageous for migrant and international students that speak numerous languages. Moreover this type of learning enables concealment of “personal identities” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) ensuring that there will be no prejudices
However as with most things, the good comes with the bad and the main issue with MOOCs is the lack of real life social interaction rather than one that is cyber, which may be considered a great disadvantage in a learning environment. For example, Bullen (1998) conducted a casestudy that revealed “that some students felt disconnected from others in this type of learning environment, citing lack of facial expressions and other features common to a traditional classroom environment.”(Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) This can negatively impact their schooling by causing a lack of motivation and satisfaction, demonstrating “interaction among participants is critical in learning and cognitive development.” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.80) Using the socio-cognitive framework these attitudinal and developmental ramifications of MOOcs can be explained as it emphasises “learning as an interactive group process in which learners actively construct knowledge and then build upon that knowledge through the exchange of ideas with others.” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.81)
So in considering the distinctive viewpoints of MOOCs, I believe virtual classrooms to be positive for students because it is beneficial in both an intrinsic and extrinsic sense since it allows equal access to education regardless of certain deficits. Also too this type of learning is flexible and convenient which is incredibly significant in the hustle and bustle of this globalised environment. Finally MOOCs promote “collaborative learning” which in a sense undermines the negative of lack of physical interaction as greater amounts of people can be reached using the internet to share knowledge around the world and gain perspectives from students with differing values, opinions and cultures whether these be expressed in video, audio or written form.
References
Cynthia Karena. (2013). Virtual schools finding vast support. Sydney Mornng Herald. Published on august 19th 2013. Viewed on October 2nd 2013. <http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/virtual-schools-finding-vast-support-20130818-2s4z3.html>
Gerwitz S. (1998). Conceptualising social justice in education: mapping the territory. Journal of education policy. Vol.13, No.4. pp. 469-484
Richardson, J. & Swan, K. (2003). Examining social presence in online courses in relation to students’ perceived learning and satisfaction. JALN. 7 . 69-88
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