The problem with MOOCs in 2018
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have amassed massive popularity over the past decade, and still show considerable potential for the near future. The concept has brought an unconventional and easy approach to learning, with top institutes such as MIT and Stanford having extended access to their course material on various platforms. A number of eminent professors are taking their time out to for these online classes so that they reach a wider audience.
However, despite the extensive support and popularity, MOOCs have not gained enough momentum to completely substitute conventional education. The format continues to develop every day and has very mixed reaction from both universities and students.
Why do students leave MOOCs?
A large number of students (~95% some estimate) are unable to complete or leave a course midway. While many students have expressed satisfaction with MOOCs, we cannot ignore the fact that it is a very self-driven method of learning that may not be ideal for everyone.
The most common reason stated by students dropping out of courses was ‘no live teacher engagement’. This essentially makes it the online version of a book. The lack of interaction bores people, and the course structure is often not progressive enough to completely capture the attention of the enrolled. While many courses are trying to address these problems by trying to make the videos more interactive, much essence is already lost due to the pre-recorded sessions.
A significant reason for the students to drop out of the online courses is mostly, the lack of interest and intention in the first place. An average MOOC lasts about 7 weeks, and only about 50% of the content interests most people. This leads to a massive number of people dropping out after the first two weeks itself. As the courses progress, the course material gets harder and pushes students to rely on a lot of self-study to clear any doubts. Discussion forums are useful here as the digital equivalent of a teaching assistant. However, they are not easily accessible or always active. Along the way, students continue dropping out on account of lack of time, regularly missed deadlines or non-inspiring content. At the end of 7 weeks, less than 20% of the original strength remains to collect the certificate.
A Bar chart depicting the activities of students. Source: InsideHired
Another primary reason why the success rate of MOOCs is beginning to drop is the fact that MOOCs aren’t being given as much accountability or importance as they were given earlier. Most of MOOCs rely on auto-scoring, a concept untrusted by many. The scoring pattern is very objective, and you are always judged by your end-result. There is minimal feedback concerning the class work and assignments are sometimes peer-reviewed.
Most organizations and grad-schools do not weigh much upon the courses, because there is never a sure way to know whether the entire course has been completed by the individual, honestly. The certifications aren’t regarded enough by employers for them to extend job offers.
How to fix the problem?
For e-learning to succeed, incentives must be increased. The lectures must be able to capture the interest of the learner and bring a sense of community through a shared interest. One0x is working on exactly this — creating a Knowledge Economy blockchain to arrest the plummeting rate of adoption amongst MOOCs. The knowledge economy will run on the blockchain, and offer incentives for both teachers and students to push them to work harder and with more sincerity. Meaningful feedback can be obtained through protocols designed to reward learning and keep engagement rates high. According to the one0x whitepaper, educators can:
- fetch a student’s existing knowledge reputation and performance trail
- add to his reputation as he learns specific skills and,
- track the impact of your teaching as the student moves ahead.
But it’s not just the educators who’ll stand to benefit. Students will be able to:
- Build their global knowledge reputation which is not limited to any one platform or school.
- Earn digital rewards for learning any skill and use it to pay for future courses.
- Use an easy to share universal learning profile that will be of much more value to future employers.
A knowledge economy, by definition, will work on the concept of credits. For everything you learn or teach, you’ll get awarded credits.
The one0x protocol tries to justly identify and measure a person’s knowledge and addition to the global knowledge pool. It aims to create an environment where people are rewarded based on the value they add to the knowledge society. ‘Gyan’ is used to track the learning of an individual and then rewarded with ‘Karma’.
The objective is clear:
- Learning should not be limited to just the classroom, it should be something you cultivate throughout your life and PeerBud will help you do that.
- Platforms for learning should be free after the first pay-it-forward model.
- Learning and knowledge should be measured on a global scale. PeerBud is trying to create a global ecosystem where partners will log into the blockchain system to update their learning activities and get to know the learning activities of their peers.
We’ll be exploring one0x in a lot more detail in more articles. Watch this space!
