MOOCs – or massive open online courses – have been
abuzz in the media lately, and there are conflicting opinions about where they fit in the higher education spectrum. Many of these courses have been spearheaded by professors at Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and other well-known colleges and universities and are usually inexpensive or free.
Here at Peirce, we applaud any advancement that allows more students to access education, and MOOCs can provide learning opportunities to those who might not be able to attend a traditional college degree program. But there are key differences between MOOCs and online education programs offered by colleges and universities, the biggest being that most MOOCs do not result in college credit. While some institutions offer certificates upon MOOC completion, most cannot be applied toward a college degree program. We want to help add some more clarity to the conversation and explain some of the other biggest variances.
Faculty engagement. Anyone can sign up for a MOOC, so thousands of students can take any given course at the same time. With such a large class size, students rarely have the chance to interact with the instructor. Assessments in MOOCs are often peer-reviewed or automatically graded, so instructors usually don’t have the opportunity to guide students in their progress.
Conversely, many online programs offered by colleges and universities are structured so students can engage with their instructors frequently. Even though all or most of the interaction is done online, many instructors get to know their students, including their learning styles and how they’re faring in the class. One-on-one interaction is often crucial to helping students better understand and absorb course materials.