Explore Massive Open Online Courses
Anybody with internet can audit university classes for free through massive open online courses, or MOOCs. These courses are often partnerships between colleges and providers such as edX or Coursera — though others exist.
But MOOCs have evolved in the past few years. There are now paid options, for example, to receive certificates. Here are 10 things to know about these courses.
1. MOOCs can be accessed for free.
When MOOCs gained momentum in 2011, their creators were “more motivated by providing opportunities for learning to individuals who could not otherwise access that learning,” says Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of Illinois–Springfield.
That remains a function of MOOCs, he says, but not the only function. Still, in most cases, anybody can audit a MOOC at no charge.
2. Many are launched with universities.
Because edX and Coursera partner with top universities to develop MOOCs, students learn from distinguished professors, adding to MOOCs’ legitimacy, experts say.
“These are faculty members who have taught online, who have taught in many cases for quite a few years,” Schroeder says.
3. A lot of MOOCs now offer paid credentials.
Though MOOCs can be free, Coursera and edX offer paid “verified certificates” for successful completion. Students must pass assessments and prove their identities. Employers can confirm certificates online.
“We see a larger and larger number of our learners, especially in courses that confer direct benefits — for instance, to one’s career — opting to pay for the certificate,” Daphne Koller, president and co-founder of Coursera, told U.S. News.
4. Paying for a MOOC provides extra features.
Along with a credential, students who pay for MOOCs often gain access to extra features.
In many of Coursera’s career-related MOOCs, for example, students might receive additional feedback from instructors, and sometimes access to supplemental readings and assessments, a company spokeswoman told U.S. News.
5. College credit is sometimes an option.
Some MOOCs also offer college credit, such as in edX’s Global Freshman Academy with Arizona State University. For-credit MOOCs are open to incoming and returning freshmen at a cost.
Many experts say schools sometimes provide credit through MOOCs, though pinpointing the extent that it happens is difficult.
6. MOOC-based degrees are emerging.
EdX has partnered with 14 universities to launch MicroMasters degrees. Students complete a portion of a master’s through several MOOCs and a capstone, and then apply to finish it on campus.
Coursera also has two MOOC-based options at the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign: an iMBA and Master of Computer Science in data science.
7. Completion rates for free MOOCs are low.
For auditors, edX MOOC average completion rates are less than 10 percent — but are generally much higher when students pay, Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX, told U.S. News.
“It did add a level of commitment, because otherwise you can kind of walk away at any point,” Kelly Walsh, a chief information officer at the College of Westchester who completed a Coursera MOOC last year, told U.S. News.
8. Some initial concerns about MOOCs have dwindled.
MOOCs have long sparked debate among experts. Advocates viewed them as free professional development tools, including in developing countries, while critics pointed to low completion rates and a lack of student-faculty interaction.
But with the new paid models, some of the negative perceptions have diminished, Schroeder says.
9. They allow high schoolers to explore college.
MOOCs also enable high schoolers to gauge interest in college majors and sample actual university classes.
“It gave me a realistic understanding of what it means to be an economics major, and what it means to be a statistics major, what it means to be a computer science major,” 18-year-old Mahir Jethanandani, who enrolled in MOOCs during high school, told U.S. News.
10. MOOCs are used around the world.
Providers outside the U.S. also develop MOOCs, Schroeder says. Agarwal, the edX CEO, wrote in February that in countries such as Saudi Arabia, MOOCs are used to combat skills gaps in labor markets.
“While the potential for large-scale change is certainly impressive, the role that MOOCs can play in individual lives cannot be understated as well,” Agarwal wrote.
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10 Things to Know About MOOCs in Online Education originally appeared on usnews.com
