Comments on: John Cochrane on Online Teaching

By: JKB

JKB — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 01:25:29 +0000

I wonder if we won’t see MOOCs start being produced like movies. A producer brings together the talent. The prof provides content (writer), a script advisor punches it up, a director plans the presentation, voice-over or actor does the on screen. Tech experts fill the gaps.

No need to do one man shows when it’s not live.

By: andrew'

andrew' — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 23:16:12 +0000

5 minute course
Quiz
Repeat minutes 3-4
Etc

By: Lord

Lord — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 22:17:23 +0000

I can only conclude university education is not what it is cracked up to be. There is probably some truth to this. It is impossible to devote full attention to anything for an extended period so a lot of time filling goes on allowing the audience to collect their thoughts.

By: eddie

eddie — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 20:28:40 +0000

“I believe that it is unlikely that any one person can create an entire course as a MOOC using today’s tools and make anywhere close to the best use of the online medium.”

How many courses did Salman Khan create all by himself in his spare time using yesterday’s tools?

If that wasn’t the “best use of the online medium”, surely it was a pretty good one, no?

By: Randy

Randy — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 20:23:53 +0000

I’d say that lectures are boring, period, and exceptionally so on-line. But it seems to me that this will eventually be an advantage to on-line education, in that well done presentations will prove themselves superior to traditional lectures as well. And one well done session could be used to instruct millions.

By: R Richard Schweitzer

R Richard Schweitzer — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 17:35:01 +0000

The inferred point, it seems, is to create a “learning experience,” not a “pedagocic” technique.

However, like creating a text book, that effort involves “organizing” the learning experience. That is a next major step toward more effective “online” learning – guidance in an effective (or least dysfunctional) learning process (course organization?). Once again -learning how to learn a specific subject matter (and that can be highly individuated).

By: Gabriel Puliatti

Gabriel Puliatti — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 17:13:10 +0000

Why should the “unbundling” of university only happen at the larger collegiate level? Why not “unbundle” the courses themselves.

I can imagine future content aggregators, bundling their own lesson plans:
“Watch Econ 101 from MIT, classes 2, 3 and 6. Then write this essay from Kyoto University. Then take Python 201 from Berkeley.”

By: Steve B

Steve B — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 16:22:41 +0000

I won’t directly dispute the idea that merely taping live lectures won’t likely produce a good MOOC. However, one counterexample I can point to is the EdX MIT Introduction to Biology course, which used the recorded live lectures of the actual MIT course, and it was superb. There was, of course, supplemental material like readings and lab videos, interactive problem sets, etc. that fleshed out the course, but the lectures were the backbone. I suppose it helps when the lecturer, Erik Lander, is a gifted pedagogical communicator.