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MOOCs have been developing en masse for the last 6-7 years. What, aside from the obvious associates degree at completion and an accelerated pathway to a bachel

by Dowwie 9y ago

MOOCs have been developing en masse for the last 6-7 years. What, aside from the obvious associates degree at completion and an accelerated pathway to a bachelors degree from a 4-year program, does community college provide that MOOC micro-programs do not? It seems reasonable to assume that MOOC service providers are establishing pathways to undergraduate programs just as community colleges do. Are the value gaps narrowing?

tabeth 9y ago
Which MOOCs give you credit that transfer to a 4 year university?
throwawayjava 9y ago
> What, aside from the obvious associates degree at completion and an accelerated pathway to a bachelors degree from a 4-year program, does community college provide that MOOC micro-programs do not? CCs offer 2 tracks. Track 1: college prep. Students take a year or two of courses and then transfer to a 4 year institution. For this track, the "trustworthy signal of competence" is by far the most important aspect of the product. So for CCs offering this track, your question is a bit ill-formed. You're basically asking "aside from the most important thing, what else is important?" Track 2: Terminal associates degrees for students who will enter a trade immediately out of CC. For this track, at least sometimes, MOOCs don't work as well because you need hands-on experience. Often, you also need connections to local institutions (for setting up volunteer hours and for job placement). IMO MOOCs shouldn't even try to focus on this track, at least for certain trades like nursing. > Are the value gaps narrowing? For track 2, it depends on the trade, but mostly no. For track 1, MOOCs need to figure out the assessment problem and provide compelling evidence to higher ed that completing a MOOC is a strong signal of future success. Finally, it's worth pointing out that MOOCs work well for some types of students (I wish they had been an option for me), but do not work at all for other types of students.
munin 9y ago
At a CC, you're in a class of between 10 and 30 people with immediate access to the instructor, who is usually an expert and a dedicated educator that wants to help you understand the material and will work with you in and outside of class in small groups or one on one. In a MOOC, you're one of 10,000 students submitting questions onto a web forum and taking multiple choice tests.
drngdds 9y ago
The main (good) reason to go to community college is that it's a cheap way to get college credits.

by Dowwie 9y ago

tabeth 9y ago

Which MOOCs give you credit that transfer to a 4 year university?

throwawayjava 9y ago

> What, aside from the obvious associates degree at completion and an accelerated pathway to a bachelors degree from a 4-year program, does community college provide that MOOC micro-programs do not? CCs offer 2 tracks. Track 1: college prep. Students take a year or two of courses and then transfer to a 4 year institution. For this track, the "trustworthy signal of competence" is by far the most important aspect of the product. So for CCs offering this track, your question is a bit ill-formed. You're basically asking "aside from the most important thing, what else is important?" Track 2: Terminal associates degrees for students who will enter a trade immediately out of CC. For this track, at least sometimes, MOOCs don't work as well because you need hands-on experience. Often, you also need connections to local institutions (for setting up volunteer hours and for job placement). IMO MOOCs shouldn't even try to focus on this track, at least for certain trades like nursing. > Are the value gaps narrowing? For track 2, it depends on the trade, but mostly no. For track 1, MOOCs need to figure out the assessment problem and provide compelling evidence to higher ed that completing a MOOC is a strong signal of future success. Finally, it's worth pointing out that MOOCs work well for some types of students (I wish they had been an option for me), but do not work at all for other types of students.

munin 9y ago

At a CC, you're in a class of between 10 and 30 people with immediate access to the instructor, who is usually an expert and a dedicated educator that wants to help you understand the material and will work with you in and outside of class in small groups or one on one. In a MOOC, you're one of 10,000 students submitting questions onto a web forum and taking multiple choice tests.

drngdds 9y ago

The main (good) reason to go to community college is that it's a cheap way to get college credits.