4 ms·

The part of this discussion that gets swept aside in all the high-minded posturing about education is that most people see coursework as a chore, as something t

The part of this discussion that gets swept aside in all the high-minded posturing about education is that most people see coursework as a chore, as something they have to do to get the piece of paper they want. As such, the unspoken "secret" about college courses is that most people do the least they feel they have to do. The majority of students are simply marking time. That's deadly in a MOOC because, well, there's no consequence to failing. The least you have to do is... nothing. Combine that with the fact that there's no tangible reward in the way that there is with a degree from a college and you get a lot of people doing nothing. People, as a group, really aren't interested in learning any more than the bare minimum they need to get what they want. That's what MOOCs are really up against. As long as there's not honest discussion about that, MOOCs are going to have a hard time of it. High-minded idealistic the-people-want-to-learn approaches ignore reality.

michaelochurch 13y ago
My reply, which had to wait because of childish moderation ("submitting too fast"): https://gist.github.com/michaelochurch/8339582 https://gist.github.com/michaelochurch/8339582
- mrfusion 13y ago
  That sounds true. I'm sorry you had to post elsewhere :-( Any feedback on my startup idea? Or do you think there might be better ways to fix MOOC's?
avenger123 13y ago
You have described the root of the problem. I would imagine most people doing these courses are looking to either improve their work or get into new work. If all the major companies started to somehow make these MOOC courses similar to requiring a degree, the completion rate would likely skyrocket overnight. If there was a way for a company to say "if you have done these MOOC courses we will give you preferential treatment in your job application", it may make a big difference. I also think the approach that Udacity is now taking could be very effective. Instead of going on offsite training for a week, employees can be rewarded for taking and completing a MOOC course over the span of 6-9 months.

michaelochurch 13y ago

My reply, which had to wait because of childish moderation ("submitting too fast"): https://gist.github.com/michaelochurch/8339582 https://gist.github.com/michaelochurch/8339582

mrfusion 13y ago
That sounds true. I'm sorry you had to post elsewhere :-( Any feedback on my startup idea? Or do you think there might be better ways to fix MOOC's?

avenger123 13y ago

You have described the root of the problem. I would imagine most people doing these courses are looking to either improve their work or get into new work. If all the major companies started to somehow make these MOOC courses similar to requiring a degree, the completion rate would likely skyrocket overnight. If there was a way for a company to say "if you have done these MOOC courses we will give you preferential treatment in your job application", it may make a big difference. I also think the approach that Udacity is now taking could be very effective. Instead of going on offsite training for a week, employees can be rewarded for taking and completing a MOOC course over the span of 6-9 months.