=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2193/paper10
|storemode=property
|title=How MOOCs Can Make a Difference
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2193/paper10.pdf
|volume=Vol-2193
|authors=Ruth Kerr, Valentina Reda
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/ectel/KerrR18
}}
==How MOOCs Can Make a Difference==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2193/paper10.pdf
How MOOCs Can Make a Difference
Ruth Kerr1[0000-0003-0062-3614] and Valentina Reda2[0000-0002-8556-9057]
1
Federica Web Learning Centre, University of Naples, Federico II
2
Federica Web Learning Centre, University of Naples, Federico II
ruthlizkerr@gmail.com
Abstract Universities in Europe are seemingly under pressure from their stakeholders
at the societal, corporate and institutional level to respond effectively to the needs of the new
global knowledge economy and to the challenges and affordances of the new technologies.
As MOOCs entered the scenario they seemed set to revolutionize or replace university edu-
cation as we know it, undermining the value of university degrees and so threatening the
traditional credentialing role and core business of universities. This did not happen. The evo-
lution of MOOCs has demonstrated that MOOCs can play a key role in a rebranding of uni-
versities that is designed to increase the potential student uptake of Higher Education and to
increase the number and type of services offered. MOOCs thus contribute to a repositioning
of universities within the education market in line with a strategy of forging stronger links
with the local context and its industry networks, which university governance reforms and
reductions in government funding seem to suggest. This paper sets out to identify the emerg-
ing trends as universities seek to find a sustainable response to this challenge. It explores the
role of MOOCs in addressing some of these policy issues and how they might be included in
strategic planning at the University level. The paper is written in the context of recent bench-
mark analysis at the Federica Web Learning Centre1, which has led to the redesign of a new-
look interface for the Federica MOOCs platform (federica.eu) that reflects the strategic role
of MOOCs at Federico II University, Naples.
Keywords. MOOCs, university business models, HE stakeholders
1 Introduction
This paper sets out to explore the emerging trends in MOOC uptake and delivery
and how these seem to reflect some of the major challenges that Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) in the digital knowledge economy are facing in Europe. The
1 Federica Web Learning started life in 2007 as a European Project – Virtual
Campus – to research and deliver Open Courseware. It became a fully-fledged
University Centre in 2016 supported by European structural funds.
2
main question posed by this paper is whether the implementation of a wide-reaching
MOOC policy at institutional level provides a possible response to the specific chal-
lenges identified. The study comprised a literature review of recent articles (2016 –
2018) with keywords MOOCs, MOOC policy, and education innovation as well as
Online Learning Reports; close observation of all leading MOOC platforms, includ-
ing Coursera, edX Udacity and Futurelearn as well as FUN, MiriadaX, Canvas and
D2Learn for course type, collaborations, monetisation, and credentialing; analysis
of MOOC online press e.g. Edsurge, Edtech; the Chronicle, and relevant newslet-
ters. The context for the study was the redesign of the Federica Homepage to pro-
vide specific navigation pathways for a wider target audience and to better reflect
the University’s MOOC policy. This benchmarking study was done at Federica
Web learning (Federica), the University Centre for innovation experimentation and
dissemination of online and open learning at the University of Federico II, Naples.
Federica is one of the leaders in open-access course production and delivery in Eu-
rope, hosting over 300 courses and nearly 100 MOOCs on its two platforms, and a
growing portfolio of courses on the edX platform. Although the context was to iden-
tify challenges and responses coming from MOOC providers in order to reshape
and redesign the MOOC offer within Federica, the results of the benchmarking stud-
ies can be useful for other HEIs who are developing a MOOC strategy.
2 Background
According to the European University Association (EUA), Higher Education Insti-
tutions (HEIs) are under increasing external pressure due to increased importance
of higher education for the economy and R&D, because of Europe’s need to com-
pete successfully on the global stage, and because of market demands for more qual-
ity and quantity education at a lower cost in the current economic crisis [1]. Despite
alarm bells from certain authors about the dangers that non-academic players in the
Higher Education (HE) MOOC market represented for the quality and reputation of
MOOC courses, growing numbers of European HE Institutions (EHEIs) seem to be
embracing the MOOC phenomenon. According to the data provided by Class Cen-
tral, more than 70 European Universities have over 10 MOOCs in their portfolio,
but only 30 have more than 20, with a significant concentration of 25 Universities
providing over 60% of the total number of MOOCs produced in Europe. Thus it
would appear that many institutions seem to invest in a very limited number of high-
investment MOOCs in an obvious communication and positioning exercise, prefer-
ring to restrict access to the high-volume, online learning content that is designed
for on-campus use. For the same reason, most of the University MOOC players in
Europe choose to deliver in the English language on one of the big American plat-
forms. Class Central has signalled an emerging trend towards credit-bearing
MOOCs, but out of 24 European MOOC Master degrees currently on offer, 12 of
these are on Futurelearn, hence a European platform. The major MOOC platforms
offer diverse forms of professional certificates including micromasters and nano-
3
degrees.and most of the platforms have adopted a freemium model with an optional
fee-paying verified certificate track alongside the free audit track.
A majority of institutions have a strategy for e-learning and include it in
their governance plan, even if the current level of efficacy in policy implementation
is in most cases insufficient, as the reports published by the EU JRC clearly showed
[2]. Weller discussed the potential benefits of MOOCs in terms of Reputation; In-
novation; Delivery; Infrastructure and Student outcomes [3]. We would like to sug-
gest that, although maybe undersubscribed, there are emerging trends regarding the
benefits of uptake and use of MOOCs and these can be grouped into four main areas
which represent the challenges, opportunities and responses identified., One is as-
sociated with harnessing new modes of learning and teaching to modernize and re-
inforce the traditional core business of universities – which we have termed Multi-
media degrees - and the others associated with the changing needs of society and
the university’s third mission including outreach to schools, addressing local issues,
industry collaboration and the global talent market. We have termed these Orienta-
tion, Lifelong Learning and Internationalisation. There are indications that the
scope and reach of MOOCs could be much broader and that reinforced branding
could be a positive consequence of MOOC initiatives designed to address other is-
sues.
3 Identified Challenges and main directions
In the following chapters we will analyze these four challenges and the MOOC re-
sponse based on the benchmarking results.
3.1 Degrees – Multimedia degrees improve the performance of
core business
Since the early 1900s, university bachelor degrees have been “cemented in the
minds of business and government as a hiring tool”, as the basic currency in the job
market, and therefore “the foundation of the academic business model” [4]. The
rise of the new knowledge economy has only served to highlight the importance of
bachelor degrees as the basic requirement for the majority of jobs and the main
pathway towards a better salary, with the differential between High School gradu-
ates and Bachelors graduates going from 42% in 1983 to 80 per cent today [4]. It
would seem a good strategic decision for universities to hold on to this core business
of preparing students to bachelor degree level. Although authors have suggested
that MOOCs may represent a threat to traditional business models, there are other
indications that the integration of online learning and curricular MOOCs can help
HEs improve the performance of their core business in three fundamental ways:
4
Innovation of teaching and learning models. Many institutions across
Europe are experimenting with mixed modes of delivery via MOOCs used
as interactive textbooks, and the EU Institutions have shown support for
Blended models with, for example, funding of the Erasmus+ project
EMBED2 a “reference model for the development and implementation of
blended learning”. Recent literature has also introduced the idea of
“flipped MOOCs” [5] refining MOOC design to “incorporate gamification
and learning analytics as a way to provide more engaging, personalized,
interactive, and community-oriented learning experiences”. Technologi-
cal innovation matches academic content to student expectations in a dig-
ital world, fostering digital and other soft skills. In Italy, where the dropout
rate is very high, with only 45% of University registrants continuing to
degree level according to data from Anvur (National Agency for Evalua-
tion of University and Research systems) experiments are afoot to provide
remedial solutions for undergraduates struggling with particularly difficult
“make or break” modules via online components to address this dropout
phenomenon, saving the HEIs significant amounts in lost funding and
providing a more reassuring picture for the students of tomorrow.
More inclusive educational offer. Curricular content online can provide
more flexible study options for working students and overcome personal,
physical and geographical constraints. In certain faculties the student-to-
staff ratio and number of contact hours required is expensive for the HEI,
enforcing number-capping in many of these publicly-funded institutions.
Online delivery of certain components could broaden access to larger num-
bers of students. On the other hand, certain degree courses are over-sub-
scribed with consequent classroom over-crowding, which could be eased
by the offer of online courseware and study groups.
University governance. Online delivery allows for new forms of data col-
lection that could inform future evidence-based policy at classroom and
Institution level. Cross-referencing online and on-campus data allows: op-
timization of logistics, administrative organization and accommodation ca-
pacity; prediction of success rates and reproduction of best practices;
providing better knowledge about their students in order to profile them
and facilitate their entrance in the job market [6].
Curricular MOOCs prepare students for credit-bearing exams and, at scale, com-
prise the building blocks for micro-bachelors, micro-masters or even full degrees.
Exams are currently available on-campus but could be made available via proctor-
ing or in examination centres in other Universities in the same country or abroad.
The Kiron refugee project3 is experimenting with online degree preparation and fi-
nal exams in a choice of partner universities. And other experiments are afoot to
2 https://www.kuleuven.be/english/international/impact/embed
3 https://kiron.ngo
5
award credit for MOOCs taken with partner universities within strategic alliances4
The new “Degree” section on the Federica.eu platform guides learners to curricular
courses comprising full degrees in four of the University’s main subject areas. The
first cohort of learners to experiment with this portfolio will launch in Fall 2018 and
analytics will allow for comparative analysis, amongst other things, of conversion
rates from online course to exam success, and from MOOC engagement to on-cam-
pus enrolment.
3.2 Orientation – making the right choices
Massive Open Online Courses are emerging as a powerful multimedia tool for ori-
entation. If MOOCs mirror on-campus courses, then signing up online can repro-
duce the experience of walking into a lecture theatre and following a lesson. Ex-
ploring the different subjects on offer, and understanding what is required, makes it
easier for potential students to choose the specific university and degree course that
best suits personal skills and aspirations. This contributes to better completion rates
and reduced dropout rates at the end of the first year, a pressing objective in coun-
tries that identify successful study as one of the central issues on their national
agenda: 16 of the 35 countries included in the Report 2016 published by the Euro-
pean Commission [7]. If, in the United States, the threat of a student debt crisis of
similar proportions to that of the mortgage crisis of 2008, has forced leading uni-
versities to address the problem, in Europe the governing and university institutions
have only started to experiment solutions designed to maximize inclusion in higher
education. Systems like the Italian one have been left behind mainly because uni-
versity reforms are too slow and incomplete [8].
If national frameworks provide a blueprint for institutional action then
France seems to be leading the way in strategic orientation policy, with several ac-
tors involved. The FUN platform, the French Ministry of Higher Education initia-
tive to promote online education and digital approaches at a national level 5, cur-
rently offers 5 orientation MOOCs in 4 subject areas that are popular degree choices
but are not taught at High School - Health Science, Sport Science, Law and Psy-
chology6 - as well as a guide to University Institutes of Technology. FUN also pro-
vides collaboration workshops with schools to introduce and encourage use of the
4 For example https://uclouvain.be/en/digital-university/moocs/credits-
moocs.html; TU Delft-led Virtual Exchange project retrieved from
https://www.class-central.com/report/delft-virtual-exchange-program/
5 Launched in 2013, a public organisation called GIP-FUN-MOOC is now
responsible for the FUN platform and its evolutions, and for developing new
partnerships in the context of lifelong learning.
6 https://www.fun-mooc.fr/news/orientation-cinq-mooc-pour-se-projeter-dans-
lensei/#
6
MOOCs. The RENASup (National Board of Private Higher Education) also offers
MOOCs to help “Choisir l’Université” and to inform students about specific aspects
of University study, like recent administrative changes, study plans, online learning
components7. The benefits of a successful orientation initiative are both direct and
indirect, with potentially reduced dropout rates on the one hand and positive reper-
cussions on brand on the other via higher student satisfaction rates, better learning
outcomes and improved graduate profiles. Orientation may be of value to HEIs in
attracting the right calibre of under-graduate applicant, as indicated by The Euro-
pean Union Personnel Selection Office’s (EPSO) creation of its own 4 module ori-
entation MOOC, designed to provide potential candidates with an extensive guide
to EPSO's selection procedures, an explanation of competency-based assessment,
and an overview of eligibility requirements.8
Another important aspect of orientation in the school-university continuum
is to ensure that high-school students develop the digital and soft skills necessary to
perform in the academic context, including research, comparative analysis and dig-
ital literacy skills. And this can only be successfully mainstreamed if HEI staff have
the skills and attributes necessary to use these in their own teaching and foster them
in their students. The MOOC revolution and availability of open and free courses
has multiplied continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities for
teachers, as well as learning opportunities for their students, offering the possibility
of international collaboration and exchange as well.
In view of these findings, Federica.eu has developed an orientation section
which includes a representative range of taster curricular MOOCs. Collaborations
with local schools to encourage uptake of these digital orientation opportunities in-
clude school visits and workshops, presentations at university Open Days, and so-
cial media presence. And negotiations are under way to offer preparation courses
and simulations for university entrance exams. The section also includes the CPD
offering for teachers.
3.3 Life Long Learning
By 2030, according to OCSE, half of today’s jobs will have disappeared, and 35%
of today’s European workforce is employed in jobs unrelated to their studies. The
main MOOC audience in today’s world are lifelong learners, who are using the new
learning technology to improve their educational and cultural profile, and upskill or
reskill in line with the changing job market.
While Universities need to accept that a one-off in depth education might
not be sufficient for today’s students, and find ways of creating more lasting rela-
tionships with their students on a drop in – drop out basis. HEs can offer a wide
range of professionally-related MOOCs, including digital and soft skills. Some Uni-
versities offer ECTS for their MOOCs via fee-paying on-campus exams, the leading
7 http://www.mooc-renasup.org
8 https://epso.europa.eu/content/welcome-epsos-brand-new-mooc_en
7
MOOC platforms (Coursera, edX and Futurelearn) offer verified certificates for a
fee, and others offer Open Badges. All have the potential to demonstrate learning
and achievement. MOOC-based credentials and their recognition has been the sub-
ject of recent investigation by the European Commission [9]. Findings suggest that
more robust forms of assessment are associated with more formal credentialing and
that these can lead to wider recognition if the providing institutions ensure, amongst
other things, quality and supervised assessment. The value of university credentials
– degrees, recognition of competences – has not been undermined on the job market,
but they are being accompanied on individual CVs by an increasing number of cer-
tificates – that recognize skills – whose value is more or less part of the higher
education framework. The development strategy for the American Universities on
the big MOOC platforms suggests that the tendency is to reinforce and multiply the
credentials offer based on the traditional pathways of post-graduate education. Mak-
ing them more accessible, flexible and economical, and as professionalizing as pos-
sible, also thanks to the collaboration of industry players in the creation and delivery
of the courses. There is nothing new as regards the training itself, but a sea-change
in terms of the flexibility of the tools available, which is leading to an equally radical
revolution in the professional training market, which in Europe is slow to take off.
There are important experiences using MOOCs as part of company staff
training, and sometimes the courses are created in collaboration with industry part-
ners e.g. the partnership between MIT, Boeing, and NASA to develop a set of pro-
fessional development training courses on the topic of “Architecture and Systems
Engineering: Models and Methods to Manage Complex Systems.” Collaborations
including Federica.eu are provision of educational benefits for staff of the FS (Na-
tional Rail) Network and for employees within the Regional Public Administration.
These represent an important step forward in consolidating a culture of training
within the country. For companies of the future, it will become ever more important
that continued learning be an integral part of their employees’ working and non-
working lives, and employees will require an ever-broader spectrum of learning op-
portunities that they can use to improve their professional skills or simply their own
cultural profile. For both Public Administration and small businesses, key players
in the development of local industry and commerce, MOOCs allow for personali-
zation of in-house training, drastically reducing costs and increasing the number of
available channels. For Cultural Attractions, MOOCs represent a form of publicity
as yet unexplored, which could play the role of trendsetter on the international stage.
Federica.eu has created sections addressed to national and local businesses
to showcase potential collaborations and educational benefits, as well as sections –
jobs and curriculum - addressed to workers themselves who wish to reskill or up-
grade their educational profile. There is an Open learning project with the Italian
Rail network, whereby the main objective is the culture of transversal and mixed
knowledge, so that engineers get to study Dante, for example, as well as the habit
of lifelong and self-directed learning, rather than direct profession-related input.
8
3.4 Internationalization
MOOCs can be a powerful driver of Internationalization, and Internationalization
is likely to play an increasingly important role in University governance in the fu-
ture, competing for global talent and as an attempt to fill existing capacity as na-
tional student numbers dwindle, as in Germany 9. Many European HEIs choose to
deliver their MOOCs on the big, global platforms like Coursera, edX and Future-
learn to showcase their academic offer to a potentially massive student audience
worldwide and boost their institutional profile. This could impact favourably on the
numbers of international students attracted to European campuses: The University
of Derby, for example, reports that 200 of their MOOC learners subsequently en-
rolled on an on-campus course, with an enrolment impact of over £1.15 million.
To attract students and researchers to foreign institutions, MOOCs can
open up market avenues and be used as a complex form of advertising and dissem-
ination. Online courses, in fact, allow universities to demonstrate:
The quality of the teaching. Students from all over the world have access
to the teaching and can judge for themselves if the academic offer matches
with their expectations. With the added value of improved language skills.
MOOCs produced in bilingual versions can constitute preparation for a
study trip abroad, enabling students to reinforce their language before they
leave. MOOCs offer students and teaching staff alike the opportunity to
interact within a global, culturally diverse classroom and to practice for-
eign language and trans-languaging skills.
The quality of the research. MOOCs are a form of dissemination of the
scientific research in a specific field, which encourages the growth of a
related international research community. At the same time a MOOC rein-
forces and extends awareness and knowledge of the local context. The lack
of awareness as regards the potential linked to dissemination of research is
very clear if we look at ERC programs. The most important – and richest
– grants in Europe have exceeded American Standards for high-level re-
search, such that they have overtaken the USA by 1% in the top ranking
publications. Notwithstanding this, the attention devoted to dissemination
currently still stops at the level of guidelines for use (references in websites
etc.).
The quality of the experience. MOOCs seem to offer opportunities for
glocalisation, combining institutional branding with branding of the local
context in a mutually beneficial way. A MOOC that explores a local cul-
tural interest, like Early Music, or Renaissance Architecture, represents a
high-quality product from a local university that can be readily exported.
9 Retrieved from https://thepienews.com/news/germany-surpasses-international-
student-target-three-years-early/
9
This latent objective is particularly significant in Europe where the univer-
sity citadel has, throughout history, broken down its walls to live in a closer
relationship with the city it belongs to [10].
4 Conclusions
Universities today are facing the challenge of finding new business models given
the crisis of traditional models. Based on trends emerging from the benchmarking
study, we concluded that the core business is not in doubt as the MOOC explosion
seemed to predict. Furthermore, new players have consolidated their position within
the market of traditional under-graduate and post-graduate degrees, while at the
same time traditional universities have proved unable to consolidate their leadership
position within the lifelong learning sector. At the same time, investment cuts, along
with insufficient growth in the relationship between HE and the corporate world,
risk increasing the divide between public and private education, and leading to fail-
ure of the goal of inclusion, which is at the heart of public education in Europe.
With this paper we suggest that the four areas for development identified in this
brief reflection represent possible lines of strategic development for universities,
that operate separately and in unison to widen their offer – and consequently their
market and revenues – and strengthen their branding based on quality and inclusion.
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