The MOOC as a souk: Writing instruction, world englishes, and writers at scale

Abstract

The project investigates the nature of digitally-mediated pedagogies implemented in a writing Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and how participants leveraged those pedagogies and course content to accommodate their personal learning objectives. Employing concepts of universal and participatory design, we explore ways the MOOC offered a meaningful educational experience for learners in the global context. Analyzing elements of the course illuminates the potential of the MOOC as a site for global learning. We also find the pedagogical experience of teaching a MOOC has implications for teaching composition from a multilingual and multicultural perspective. Beneficial for individuals who identify as English Language Learners and English as First Language Writers, the multilingual, multicultural, universal, and participatory approach employed in the MOOC values the sets of literacy experiences and practices all students bring into the classroom.