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Derek Newton "What On Earth Is A MOOC-Based Degree Path?" – An Annotated Version

By Carolyn McIntyre, Founder of MoocLab

What On Earth Is A MOOC-Based Degree Path? - I saw this article by Derek Newton on Forbes.com and couldn't overlook some of the inaccuracies and biases, so I had some fun with it. I hope you will too.

Click here to read the original article. (You'll find my comments below in red).

To put it into context, Derek is writing about MoocLab's recently launched MOOC-Based Degree Paths - learning paths using MOOCs to replicate a traditional bachelor's degree.

Derek Newton: "Frankly, MOOCs aren’t adequate learning tools. A 2013 University of Pennsylvania study of a million MOOC users who participated in the school’s MOOCs found that only about half of the registrants viewed even a single online lecture and that the average completion rate was just 4%. Most people who sign up for MOOCs already have college degrees."
Depends on how completion rates are calculated. Results are very different when the participant’s initial intention is considered. A 2014 study by Reich, a Research Fellow at HarvardX, found that of those who initially intended on completing a course, an average 22 percent actually earned a certificate - a far more satisfactory completion rate, I think.
Carolyn McIntyre: “The rising costs of higher education are making the traditional degree increasingly inaccessible to many and we believe MOOCs … offer the perfect gateway to gaining the same level of knowledge that anyone enrolled in a university degree can gain but without the cost”
Uhm. Interesting how one of the author’s own articles is being used to back up this argument, especially when evidence seems to suggest college pricing is on the rise according this report by The College Board.
Derek Newton: "college is more accessible than ever"
Is it? What type of “college”? And for whom? This is a bit of a vague comment
Derek Newton: "The short version is that MOOCLabs has pulled together MOOCs from various schools and providers and bundled them into packages that it says are “degree equivalent learning paths” – where people can learn what they’d learn if they earned a bachelor’s degree"
Sorry to be picky, but It’s MoocLab (not MOOCLabs)!
Derek Newton: "the MOOCLab degree path is exactly like a path to a degree except that this path in no way whatsoever leads to a degree"
That’s why we call it a “degree equivalent learning path”
Derek Newton: "MOOCLab has no idea what, if anything, is being taught in the MOOCs they are bundling into these “degree equivalent” designations. They have no way to know what a participant may have learned – if anything whatsoever. When someone gets a certificate from a MOOC – something they almost always have to pay to get – MOOCLab can “safely assume they learned from the course,” according to McIntyre. That assumption, it seems, is good enough."
So, by contrast, if someone presents you with a university degree certificate, you know exactly what was taught and what the individual learned?
Derek Newton: [A degree] "does remain the best lifetime investment anyone can make"
Based on ...?
Carolyn McIntyre: Although MOOCLab’s degree paths are not themselves accredited, the individual courses are all provided by distinguished accredited universities
Derek Newton: "Yes, it is true that the MOOCLab’s “degree paths” are not accredited. They have no more academic weight than the McDonald’s dollar menu."
So, courses provided by the likes of Harvard, MIT, Stanford or the University of Pennsylvania to name just a few "have no more academic weight than the McDonald’s dollar menu." Not sure those universities or their students will appreciate that comment much!
Derek Newton: "And while it is also true that most of the MOOCs offered by MOOCLabs are from recognizable providers, maybe there’s a reason that the university offering the MOOC hasn’t included it in their own degree process."
Many do, actually. For reference, see our resources MOOCs for Credit & MOOC-Based University Degree Programs
Derek Newton: "If MIT does not believe that their free online content is a fit for a degree track, it’s worth asking why MOOCLab thinks they know better".
Wrong. MIT (among other universities) currently offers three MicroMasters on the EdX MOOC platform. These programs represent “the equivalent of one semester's worth of coursework at MIT”. Learners who successfully earn the MITx MicroMasters credential are eligible to earn credit at a number of universities across the globe to fast track their pursuit of a full Master’s degree.
Derek Newton: "degree alternatives such as certificates and credentials are essentially worthless."
Wrong. Today an increasing number of MOOC credentials lead to accredited college credits and even degrees accredited by prestigious universities including the likes of The University of Pennsylvania, The University of Illinois or The University of London to name just a few.
Derek Newton: "What’s really going on is that MOOCLab and others have found a way to sell floppy MOOC education products."
These “floppy MOOC education products” have been designed, built and delivered by some of the top academics & universities in the world - David J. Malan (Harvard), Eric Grimson (MIT),Robert Sedgewick (Princeton University) Charles Severance (University of Michigan), Andrew Ng (Stanford) just to name a few – the use of the term “floppy” seems grossly inappropriate here.
Derek Newton: "[MoocLab] are not selling learning, they are selling sales referrals."
MoocLab’s primary mission is to raise awareness of alternative forms of affordable education by providing a wealth of resources to help people achieve their goals, all of which are FREE. But no business can run on thin air! Affiliate partnerships allow us to survive and continue helping the thousands of people looking for guidance in the online learning sphere.
Derek Newton: "Whatever the early MOOC advocates imaged for their free courses, let’s hope this was not it. And let’s likewise hope that MOOC advocates and the “distinguished accredited universities” whose brands are being sold as degree alternatives step up to say so."
Odd conclusion when those very same distinguished accredited universities are actively advocating alternative forms of higher education through the use of MOOC-based programs. Some examples of this are highlighted in this publication by MIT, or this interview with the dean of Harvard’s Extension School, or this Stanford publication about Stanford University's extensive efforts in promoting lifelong learning through MOOCs.
 

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Nina

Active Member
The article by Derek Newton is simply outrageous and clearly based on a very biased viewpoint that degrees are the ONLY valid form of education. Get with the real world, Derek, because education IS changing whether you like it or not. A very unfair attack on an initiative that is designed to help and is actually very useful for those who maybe cannot access the same higher ed that you were lucky enough to have.
 
G

GOZAYDIN

Guest
Carolyn

I could not reach you from any where .
So I hope this message meets you .

Why you response to Derek Newton .
He does not have even a AA degree. He writes about education .
Non sense .

I wish he sees my university.
http://worlduniversity.london
 
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