Are MOOCs a Threat or an Opportunity?

Sid
3 min readFeb 27, 2022

--

So, what the MOOCs are anyways ?

MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

Online resources have changed children’s education and play dramatically over the past decade. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are one of the most popular results of that transition, and their popularity has only grown during the pandemic leveraging Digital Marketing and Future Technologies. But are they benefiting or threatening the development of your kids?

How MOOCs Work

MOOCs offer easy, affordable access to all types of courses online. Whilst the original concept revolved around offering free learning opportunities, many providers now charge a fee. However, because the courses are designed for mass participation, the fees are much lower than they would be in an offline setting. With the idea of Homeschooling, some start from less than $10 per participant.

How Kids Benefit from MOOCs

There are countless ways in which kids can benefit from MOOCs. Some of the main ones include offering access to a wide range of subjects, supplementing weak areas, and encouraging independent learning. Wevun Global offers not only short online live courses but the programs as well where kids can enrich and enhance their capabilities two fold.

1. Accessing New Subjects

Free or low-cost MOOCs offer your kids excellent opportunities to explore new subjects or activities. Signing up for in-person classes or activities can be costly, especially if your kids decide they don’t really love the activity after one or two sessions. MOOCs make it easy to try something new and discover subjects or activities you hadn’t considered before.

2. Supplementing Weak Areas

Not every kid learns and performs well in a classroom situation. Perhaps your children are distracted by others around them? Or maybe they benefit from a different delivery method. MOOCs are perfect to supplement the subjects covered in school and close any gaps.

If your kids struggle to learn from books, for example, offer them a video-based MOOC instead. MOOCs don’t have to take up much time, either. Most MOOCs are broken down into bite-sized modules your kids can work on when it’s convenient. Take the pressure out of learning and watch your kids’ academic performance improve.

3. Encouraging Independent Learning

When your kids head to college, they need to be able to study independently. MOOCs can help lay the foundations for independent research and help your kids develop the skills they need to excel past high school.

Independent learning encourages youngsters to apply what they have learned. This is a crucial skill to have when it comes to preparing for and sitting exams, for example. Few advanced exams ask students to regurgitate what they heard in class. Instead, they require kids to apply their knowledge to score favorable grades.

Any Concerns?

Not everyone thrives with distance learning. Plus, it’s easier to stop “attending” a MOOC than it is to quit an in-person class. You simply stop logging in. But these are small concerns considering the benefits of MOOCs.

On balance, MOOCs have the potential to broaden a child’s horizon, generating interest in new subjects and activities. Parents benefit from low-cost access to a wide range of courses and topics for kids to try. Add to that the opportunity to support and supplement your kids’ education in weak areas as well as a chance to stimulate independent learning, and it’s clear that MOOCs are full of opportunities. Wevun Global is a leading source where kids enjoy learning classes from Arts, Media, Music, Academics and more with the help of MOOCs.

--

--

Sid

As a MarTech/Operations leader I not only help brands sell more, although that’s where it starts. My contribution is to help the customer get brands to listen.