In the 5th year of MOOCs [Massive Open Online Courses] existing and changing the landscape of Education, nearly 23 million people worldwide registered to take an online course with a total number of 58 million students worldwide signing up for a minimum of one course! [Data collected by Class Central]
In a world where there is such an appetite to learn new skills, topics and ultimately gain access to credentials to further careers, why has there been a constant decrease in the number of engaged users after their initial class?
One can only assume that “MOOC giants” have lost focus of the vision they set out to achieve. In fact, the KitGuru team is challenging the typical “status quo” and believes there are three reasons why these giants continue to fail us:
1. Monetization: In an effort to monetize, many course providers have began to offer courses throughout the year taking away from the cohort or community feel from a traditional classroom, leaving students to self-educate and ultimately destroying any hope for peer-to-peer engagement. Monetization has led to students feeling on an island in an environment where a 6–12 week course historically speaking has been with support. [Behaviorally speaking this creates a feeling of neglect and isolation]
2. Access vs. Application: Understanding the difference between access vs. application is critical. Democratizing Education is not simply done by changing the way people access different resources, but altering the way they learn complex material so they can apply it in real-time. MOOCs core focus is on access, but they fail to deliver or focus on how information is applied once access is granted.[This is strategically putting students at a disadvantage]
3. Systematic Learning: Today MOOCs have historically been driven by former educators and institutions who have ultimately adopted and not iterated on an archaic system of transferring knowledge. Today the formula is [Learning = Present & Test + Apply + Feedback] In a world where the “Future of Work” is evolving, MOOCs have adopted and executed around a system that is broken.
At KitGuru, we believe that learning should be dynamic, because people are. We would love to hear your thoughts about your experience with online courses and if you may be experiencing any of these issues.
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