Making MOOCs

What does it take to make a MOOC? Explore the Grow-your-own MOOC kit here

Grow-your-own MOOC kit

Strategic positioning and potential

Key questions:  What is your vision/story? Who is your primary intended community/audience? What the purpose(s) of your open course? Why are you thinking about a MOOC?  Why is open education suitable for your subject matter?  Where does your idea fit with the strategic objectives of your organisation?

 

A.

Supporting informal communities in formal education

Online study groups, social & welfare issues for students, support, discipline, research & special interest groups, communities, professional development skills, within formal education.
B.

Open research tool

Provides rich ground for research into issues that are local but globally connected.
Asking questions, big conversations
Enables massive dissemination of research findings and continues the conversation.
Consider the ethics of how you collect data. Make participants aware of how survey data will be used.
Consider publishing in open journals.
C.

Community engagement strategy

Areas where disciplines collide (e.g. art & science), non-traditional multi-disciplinary adventures, issues with immediate relevance to the local and global community (e.g health, environment, urban planning). Activism.
D.

Making a difference

Taking an approach that asks participants to “do something” to connect to people and causes – community activism at a local level, and awareness of how this links to global issues.
Citizens, digital citizens
E.

Pathways to and from educational institutions

Provides a “taster” of a subject domain, links to careers, research, communicate real-world-relevance, connect  academic to open disciplines. Open education, DIY education
F.

Resource building

Could be a space to openly collaborate to create a new resources. e.g. manual, planning, documentation.
G.

Partnership space

Provides a strategic shared space for attracting and partnering with industry, organisations and individuals around matters of common interest
Provides an accessible shared space for universities to work cross-institutionally around research, projects and teaching and learning activities