Content

The number and variety of MOOCs continues to grow, and more providers are coming to the market.

from (https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-12-22-moocs-in-2013-breaking-down-the-numbers)

This seems to be despite the continuing issues of small completion rates, and some issues with reputation. MOOCs are (relatively) easy to construct, and in some of the early MOOCs the video content was very poorly shot and edited, leading to a 'look and feel' of poor quality. Most institutions developing MOOCs have also invested in the technology to improve the technological quality of learning materials. Despite the improvement in quality the completion rates remain stuck at 'the rule of thirds' [Authors note: here is hoping we buck the trend ]. The animation that follows explains some of the issues around developing MOOCs and the 'rule of thirds':

Providers and Subjects

Here are a couple of graphics that illustrate the growth in provision of MOOCs:

from (https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-12-22-moocs-in-2013-breaking-down-the-numbers)

It is interesting to see Canvas with a relatively healthy percentage of the market. London South Bank University chose this platform for a number of reasons. As a mainly vocational university not ranked in the top half of UK universities we could not get onto platforms like Futurelearn. We have used the Canvas VLE to deliver courses to students overseas from us for a while, and so we had a good understanding of the Canvas product. We liked the Canvas approach to Quality Assurance (they make you have a detailed plan before they give you a site; they then set a deadline for them to see the first two weeks of completed materials; they then set a deadline for them to see all of the completed materials; and, at any point reserve the right to remove the course). When we looked at what other institutions were using the platform we felt there was a lot of synergy with LSBU. Our main MOOC output is commissioned, which means we have a specific audience in mind that does not require the 'footfall' that the larger providers generate.

from (https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-12-22-moocs-in-2013-breaking-down-the-numbers)

Although STEM subjects dominated the early MOOCs it is clear that there is a huge diversity now. As a School of Health and Social Care we mainly contribute to the 11% Health & Medicine. There is strong growth in this subject area where MOOCs are used both to assist in decision making about career pathways; preparation for starting a course; and also some mainstream topics like our MOOCs.

Tools

This animation was made using a product called VideoScribe. Once completed the animation was converted to a PowerPoint presentation and the movie file extracted. I then placed the movie file on our Vimeo account and embedded it here in Canvas. It takes a while to master, but you can achieve some good results relatively quickly.

References

Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (2013) The Maturing of the MOOC: BIS Research Paper No. 130. London: HMSO