I found Dr. James comment on MOOCs having little benefit in "actual learning" quite interesting. What is meant by "actual learning" and outcomes define good vs bad learning? For example, if I'm learning a new topic and I can understand/explain it conceptually but can't apply it practically (or vis versa), is that a good or bad outcome? We have a saying in my culture that translates to "memorizing with no understand" which I find stems from broken education systems as far high up as University level. What's meant by "actual learning" and how do measure this? I'm very new to the challenges in education/learning topic and trying to educate myself more about it. Would love more insight on this or resources that can help me understand more.
I can't speak for James personally, but I assumed he meant the fact that MOOCs generally tend to 1) Most MOOCs (if not all) tend to focus on lecture-based and transmissionist pedagogy with very simple assessment. As such, it doesn't allow for deep learning and understanding. 2) Moocs tend to work for communities of learners that already have access to learning resources/ come from more affluent backgrounds.
I found Dr. James comment on MOOCs having little benefit in "actual learning" quite interesting. What is meant by "actual learning" and outcomes define good vs bad learning? For example, if I'm learning a new topic and I can understand/explain it conceptually but can't apply it practically (or vis versa), is that a good or bad outcome? We have a saying in my culture that translates to "memorizing with no understand" which I find stems from broken education systems as far high up as University level. What's meant by "actual learning" and how do measure this? I'm very new to the challenges in education/learning topic and trying to educate myself more about it. Would love more insight on this or resources that can help me understand more.
I can't speak for James personally, but I assumed he meant the fact that MOOCs generally tend to 1) Most MOOCs (if not all) tend to focus on lecture-based and transmissionist pedagogy with very simple assessment. As such, it doesn't allow for deep learning and understanding. 2) Moocs tend to work for communities of learners that already have access to learning resources/ come from more affluent backgrounds.