Essential Critical Success Factors in the Design and Delivery of MOOC

I have been thinking about research on MOOC since CCK08. Here I would like to give it a go, with open research with and through the Community of PLENK2010.

This involves opening up the process to anyone interested in the community, to post their views, comments and suggestions for development openly in any where one likes, or through various other medias like emails, messages in Facebook or Twitter that would ensure individual's privacy.

How would it work?

First I would post my suggestions.

My suggested assumptions in MOOC include:

people would learn in a self-directed manner
Knowledge is distributed
Knowledge is negotiated
Knowledge is emergent
Knowledge is rhizomatic (thanks to Dave's video posted - refer to How to be successful in MOOC?)
Learning is capacity to construct, navigate and traverse across networks
personal learning networks would be a far better way for people to learn
people like to learn via social networks
people know how to connect (people have the communication, literacy and critical literacy skills)
people know how to use the technology to connect
people are self motivated (intrinsic motivation)
people like to accept challenges, chaos and complexity is just part of the learning process
people don't need to follow a course or qualification for learning to be effective
Learning is emergent, and is based on connections, engagement and interactions
Learning is open
Identity in networked learning is based on individual's "participation, interaction" in the networks, and is reflective of ones involvement in the media, it's dynamic, adaptive
Individual and social learning is emphasised - cooperation
Sensemaking and wayfinding are important
whereas on the other hand, the more formal or traditional education/learning approach or even the online approach of:
people need to learn in a structured manner, in a course (face to face or online), with teacher's instruction (zpd) zone of proximal development,
people construct knowledge via a constructivist pedagogy - with an expert.
Knowledge is acquired
Learning is about acquisition of knowledge, skills and experience
people like to learn with Learning Management Systems (LMS)
people prefer to learn independently (in a closed environment) (behind the walls in schools) or learn collaboratively in a group or team
people don't have enough skills, knowledge and experience to use technology to connect, formal training/education is the solution
people don't want chaos, complexity - don't want to be overwhelmed with information or knowledge
people need to be motivated with rewards (extrinsic motivation)
people need to follow a course or qualification for learning to be effective
Learning is based on instruction by the teachers
Learning is closed (in a closed classroom or closed online network)
Identity is based on the association of oneself as a student or that of the group - it's static
Group learning is emphasised - collaboration
Teaching and close mentoring are important
I need to think more about the above, whether my assumptions about both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation will affect how people face challenges, technology and connecting / relating to others.
The above statements are just set to be a "polarised" one, and these are just my first thoughts. I need to draw a mind map to show the relationship at a later stage, once I have re-visited our research papers on Blogs and Forums as Communication and Learning Tools in a MOOC and The Ideals and Reality of Participating in a MOOC.
If you felt comfortable with idea, it may be fun to collaborate together using a shared workspace for mind / concept map or drawing tool.
Besides, there are many other factors and concepts on learning that need to be included in this research.
I think it could be interesting to conduct research on PLENK2010 based on our experience and involvement in CCK08/CCK09/edfutures/CritLit2010.
I am not sure if we could thresh out some research questions, as a follow up study of CCK08.
Suggested title:
Essential critical success factors in the design and delivery of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
Note: based on PLENK2010/CCK09 experience
Research questions:
1. What are the design factors in an open online course? (Consider the connectivist principles)
2. What are the delivery factors in an open online course?
3. How would educators and participants evaluate an open online course (PLENK2010)?
Research methodology:
Consider using a more open survey approach in the design and conduction of the research -
(a) email
(b) Twitter and Facebook or Amplify, Delicious, Google Document AND wikis etc.
(c) blog
(d) voicethreads
(e) Google Wave
Research Approach:
1. Development of questionnaire
2. Conduction of survey
3. Analysis of findings
4. Writing up of paper
5. Final edit and publication of paper
The above suggestions are subjected to changes based on feedback from instructors, participants and review.
John Mak
You are welcome to post your comments on this research. Please include the #PLENK2010 in you post.
References:
Connectivism and Connective Knowledge CCK08 & CCK09 MOOC
Critical Literacies Online Course 2010 by Stephen Downes and Rita Kop

Drexler, W. 2010. The networked student model for construction of personal learning environments: Balancing teacher control and student autonomy

Networked Learning

Open Course in Education Futures 2010 by Dave Cormier and George Siemens

Here is an excellent Youtube video created by Dave Cormier on How to be successful in a MOOC:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLBvDNKbdmk]