Foundation essay: This article on the rise of massive open online courses by Martin Weller, Professor of Educational Technology at The Open University, is part of a series marking the launch of The Conversation…
There’s no such thing as a free MOOC according to Coursera.
yukop
A prominent member of the open education movement, former Open University Vice-Chancellor Sir John Daniel, has criticised online education provider Coursera for not making its materials available under…
We need to think beyond the classroom if we’re going to improve maths and science education.
One Laptop per Child
MATHS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION: We’ve asked our authors about the state of maths and science education in Australia and its future direction. In this instalment, Chris Tisdell examines the benefits of online…
Traditionally, students took exams on site at a university. But how does assessment work with online courses?
Exam image from www.shutterstock.com
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have certainly got higher education folks talking. These free online courses, often from prestigious universities, have prompted one obvious question: why should students…
The open education movement seems as though it’s here to stay – but why would anyone give away their work for free?
Open book image from www.shutterstock.com
The New York Times dubbed 2012 the year of the MOOC. And for many, the seemingly unstoppable rise of Massive Open Online Courses – courses which are offered for free by prestigious universities – is where…
MOOC graduates would throw their laptops in the air instead.
Chris Ison/PA
A napster moment; the end of boring lectures; a tipping point. These are all common responses to the emergence of MOOCs – Massive Open Online Courses. Now, simply using a laptop or iPad, hundreds of thousands…
An essay you submit in an online course might not be graded by humans but by computers instead.
Keyboard image from www.shutterstock.com
Let us consider the following scenario. You have enrolled in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offered by a world renowned university. After four weeks of solid work you have completed your first assignment…
Red tape could be preventing online education from really flourishing in Australia.
Online learning image from www.shutterstock.com
Regulation has always shaped Australian higher education. Some rules have helped – like extending HELP loans to private higher education providers in 2005. While tougher rules – like the ones to define…
There is a danger that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) may end up being more about money and less about education.
Mouse and money image from www.shutterstock.com
The astonishing idealism and energy manifest in the advance of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has taken the higher education world by storm. Universities have been shaken to their foundations by the…
A new set of free online courses will soon be available
Online learning image from www.shutterstock.com
A new free online education platform has been launched in Canberra today, by tertiary education minister Chris Bowen. Open Universities Australia, a private distance and online education organisation…
Online learning offers plenty of opportunities but only if it’s done right.
Online learning image from www.shutterstock.com
Higher education, we’re told, is rapidly heading towards huge transformation and technological disruption. Advocates of online education promise that advances in online learning technologies – by permitting…
Copyright law could make the job of creating Massive Open Online Courses more difficult.
Legal image from www.shutterstock.com
Another university has jumped on the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) bandwagon this month, with the Australian National University joining up with Harvard venture edX. In ANU’s case, it will enable Nobel…
Tony Abbott will outline the Coalition’s education plan this morning.
AAP/Alan Porritt
A Coalition government would reduce the regulatory burden on universities and encourage the growth of online learning, opposition leader Tony Abbott will tell a higher education conference this morning…
Nobel Laureate and ANU astronomer Brian Schmidt will teach one of ANU’s first open online courses.
AAP/Alan Porritt
ANU has become the first Australian member of Massive Open Online Course provider edX, with ANU professor and Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt to teach one of ANU’s first online courses. edX is owned jointly…
The future of higher education doesn’t look so bright.
Higher education image from www.shutterstock.com
Higher education, 2060: academics are out of a job. All the brand name universities have made all their courses free online, easily doing away with one side of the teaching and learning equation. Pretty…
Can you really identify a person based on the way they type?
e y e / s e e /flickr
There are two elephants in the digital classroom. Or, to be more specific, two big questions: Are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) economically sustainable, a function of the interaction between market…
Verifying student identity, including during online tests, has always been a major stumbling block for Massive Open Online Courses.
University of Maryland http://www.flickr.com/photos/umdnews
Online course host Coursera will verify the identities of participating students using web cams and technology that can fingerprint an individual’s unique typing style under a pilot project announced this…
Law reform is required to ensure Australian universities remain competitive say educators.
Fernando Stankuns
Law reform is required to support innovation and enable Australian universities to compete with the rest of the world in online education, say leading Australian educators. In their submissions to the…
Will open educational resources affect all stages of education?
Child computer image from www.shutterstock.com
By now, most of you have probably heard of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) – courses by universities like MIT and Stanford that are available for free online. But what about Massive Open Online Kindergartens…
All new UWS students will be given an iPad next year as part of a plan to boost learning innovation.
AAP
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Charis Palmer, The Conversation
The academics union has condemned a plan by the University of Western Sydney to give away 11,000 iPads as part of a $35 million bid to keep its content and teaching relevant to students. All new students…
Deputy Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, School of Education, The University of Queensland