The MOOC I would build

Here are some pretty rough ideas of how we could make MOOCs a lot better. I’m thinking about the way I would combine what I know works in education — coaching and interactivity — with what scales in education — static content and student to student learning.

My MOOC would start with the same lectures and readings that current MOOCs have. Then we would get to the actual learning.

Students would be assigned study problems and study groups. The study groups would meet through Zoom and slack. Students would be peer-graded by the other members in their group based on the amount they contributed to the conversation and solutions.

Professors would have office hours once a week online with students submitting questions in advance and the professor doing their best to field them all in Zoom.

TA’s would have study lab at least twice a week where they would explain some of that week’s concepts which were big focuses in office hours and they think need more explanation. Ideally these labs would then break up into small student groups working on a problem and then asking questions of the TA.