ERIC Number: EJ1102692
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Apr
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1492-3831
EISSN: N/A
Blurring Boundaries in Education: Context and Impact of MOOCs
Loeckx, Johan
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, v17 n3 p92-121 Apr 2016
The opinions on MOOCs go to extremes, covering a wide variety of topics, affecting economy, pedagogy, and computer science which makes it hard to keep oversight. Despite the many excellent research reports and articles, an overview of the bigger picture, providing a holistic qualitative summary of the different opinions, is still very welcome. Special attention is given to the broader social, cultural, and technological context in which these developments come about. In this paper, it is discussed how the educational industry has received a "wake up call" provoking a global discussion on learning and teaching, accordingly disturbing established boundaries between formal and informal learning, public and for-profit education, teachers and learners and quite intriguingly, between software and teaching practices. Golden opportunities for Artificial Intelligence and Technology Enhanced Learning are unfolding, evidenced by the digitalization movement of education, gamification, and the stringent need for massively scalable (and therefore computerized) personal learning experiences.
Descriptors: Online Courses, Computer Science, Teaching Methods, Social Environment, Electronic Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Debate, Learning Experience, Creativity, Surveys, Higher Education, Distance Education, Global Approach, Information Technology
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A