Like many in the composition field (and many others who are not), I recently enrolled in my first MOOC (massive open online course): E-learning and Digital Cultures.
My motivations: Many of you might be asking "Why take an online course in the middle of a semester when you have your own work to do?" As a faculty member in English, I teach one online course every semester in professional and technical writing, yet I have not had the opportunity to take an online course until now. I want to see what it is like to learn online, to not see my fellow students and teachers in a classroom, to be detached, physically, from the learning community but at the same time connected with them.
The content, e-learning, and the interest from other members of my profession, also encouraged my entrance into this MOOC. MOOCs are one of the hot topics of discussion in higher education right now. Thomas Friedman's column in the New York Times this morning addressed the benefits of MOOCs, the Chronicle of Higher Education regularly publishes opinion and news articles about the topic. Whether a fad or a lasting trend, MOOCs are here right now, and online classes, even on a smaller single-institution scale are here to stay.
This blog: For the next five weeks, the length of the course, I hope to update my blog, reflecting on what it is like to be an online student and how my experiences will help me facilitate the online classes where I am the faculty member.
This blog will also chronicle whether or not I am one of the 97% of students who don't finish the MOOC they've enrolled in. Will my responsibilities at school get in the way of this entirely optional course with no direct oversight by people I know?
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