If you are going through this article then most probably you are interested in knowing the details of MOOC or massive open online courses, a new face of online learning which is changing the educational system rapidly. Although a massive number of articles with out-dated information will appear in any search engine if you hit search for massive open online courses, an updated description is needed for the students as the online learning mode is evolving in a pace.
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A massive open online course is an educational offering or an online course, to be precise, designed to help the students to participate over the internet. One can access the courses, the data and the study material in any time as long as an internet connection is available, and of course it is free. The idea of catering free academic education dates back in the beginning of twenty-first century when MIT started its OpenCourseWare, from where interested learners can get free entree to the lectures and research article pages. No doubt the idea was revolutionary. But the real evolution started right after that when several institutes started offering free full-time courses for the students who struggle to manage time and money for traditional face-to-face learning. And it was quite a sensation among the learners from the very first of its being. Let’s have a closer look into this relatively new approach of learning.
Productive & Career Oriented Learning
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Technology has transformed education in a productive way by not only learning by following the course-guide but also by going beyond it, which eventually makes the student more competent for further higher studies. The study materials, offered by MOOC, are way too rich as it is provided and reviewed by various professors and professionals all over the world. What adds MOOC’s acceptance, among the numerous students all over the world, is the value that the employers of multinational companies give to its course and degree obtained.
As Professor Neil Morris, from the University of Leeds, puts it: “Whenever anyone accredits a course in a way that is meaningful to an employer or for further study, you reach completion rates of 70%.” Daphne Koller, Stanford professor and one of the co-founders of Coursera, also has the same thought, she says, “New Technology platforms and greater acceptance of online certificates by employers are allowing these people to transform their careers.”
Breaking The Laws Of Traditional Learning
Technology also transmutes the delivery mode of education; from traditional face-to-face it changes to online learning, which is immensely helpful to the students. Now they can switch between their learning time and job shift perfectly anytime they want, as online education provides the flexibility of time. Internet, being the sole media of this type learning, increases the availability of the course materials and by which students are always kept on the hop. “Learners may not have the option to structure their lives around their education,” continues Koller, “but rather need the flexibility to mould their education around the constraints of their life.”
Large Scale Of Course
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MOOC bridges the gap between several career-oriented courses and the appropriate educational infrastructure that is need for it. Many colleges and educational institutes lack the proper set-up or right environment for a specific course. The only option learners are left with is signing up a MOOC website and start digging into it. “For me online courses were the only option”, says Vivek Shangari, the founder of AceHacker, who, in spite of lacking any formal collage education, is certified with MOOC degrees in technology and management. Interestingly enough, the courses that MOOC offers are free and it holds the value of a traditional educational degree. Making the curriculum flexible is the best shot a traditional education system has if they can’t offer all the degree course to the students.
Digital Credential: A Stand-Alone Online Educational Degree
Flexibility of credential is something is that enticing the students as it is opening up vast educational and career possibilities. A digital credential obtained by a learner from a relatively less significant work for six months is worth of an online master level work.
Finally it can be said that this new form of learning has the power to change the ecosystem of education in a better way for future. Massive open online courses will be the guideline for the progressive students who aim for the big.
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