MOOC and the Missionary
MOOC, or Massively Open Online Classes, have become a hot topic in educational technology. These courses are offered by a number of major universities and professors to students all over the world. Thousands of students will enroll in a MOOC to learn about topics from professors from Stanford University, Harvard University, or many others. The MOOC I enrolled in recently started out with 39,000 students from all over the world.
MOOC are free, despite being offered by professors at major universities, and delivered by commercial Web sites such as Coursera, Udacity, or edX. Of course, there is still required course work. For the MOOC I took (Introduction to Jazz Improvisation from Berklee College of Music, through Coursera) there were videos to watch, quizzes, and assignments each week.
Understandably, this workload leads to a large dropout rate. The friend who enrolled with me decided not to continue as the work became too much for him. Though thousands of students enroll, a good percentage will not continue. But with 39,000 students enrolling, if 50% or even 75% drop out, there are still a lot of students completing the class. Because it hasn’t cost them any money, it is understandable that many people will not continue once they realize all the work they need to do.
Another complaint about MOOC is that, while there is no cost for the class, there is no course credit either. You may receive a certificate that states that you completed and passed the class but it will not count as credit at the university that offered the course. But people do not enroll in a MOOC for the credits. They enroll because they want to learn about the topic. For my MOOC, you could have enrolled in the same class at Berklee College of Music and received more attention from the professor and received college credit. But that would have cost money and required actually showing up for the classes in Boston, the latter being impossible for most people.
MOOC that would be of most interest to missionaries are just beginning. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary are among those that have begun to offer MOOC. I see the future of MOOC growing and expanding. Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries are exploring options such as MOOC to make university-level Christian education available to a broad range of people all over the world.
This is a great opportunity for missionaries to continue learning and growing, without large financial layouts or having to geographically relocate.
Massive Open Online Classes (MOOC)
Coursera
Udacity
edX
Review of the above
http://www.skilledup.com/blog/the-best-mooc-provider-a-review-of-coursera-udacity-and-edx/
Christian MOOC
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
http://www.sebts.edu/distance/mooc_at_sebts.aspx
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
http://www.nobts.edu/OnlineSeminary/free-online-course.html
Ligonier Connect (The world’s largest Christian MOOC?)
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/ligonier-connect-worlds-largest-christian-mooc/