Pedagogy, Practice, and the Allure of Open Online Courses: Implications for Schools and Their Students

Abstract

The society in which we live has been transformed by technology and the subsequent provision of opportunities for education, connectedness, and communi-cation. Advances in Internet technology see the online milieu playing a ubiquitous and infl uential role in the education of individuals and communities, as possibilities for learning continue to be reimagined. As access to education continues to expand in the online realm, this chapter provides an overview of current and emergent applications of online learning, with a focus on the implications of these develop-ments for the school sector. The focus of this chapter falls upon the expansion of massive open online courses (MOOCs), with attention afforded to their manifesta-tions in the education system. In this context, we consider both the merits and potential detriments of MOOCs within school settings, and consider if online learn-ing is suitable as a teaching and learning mechanism for an increasingly heteroge-neous cohort of high school students. As some nations signal movement towards acceptance of online courses in schools, this chapter also raises a number of impli-cations for the policies and practices of schools, and the quality of learning students receive. Keywords Pedagogy • Students • Practice • Open online courses • Schools • Access to education • Online environment • Applications of online learning • School sector • Massive open online courses (MOOCs) • Teaching and learning • High school students • Policies and practices of schools • Quality of learning 444 As part of the ongoing process of globalisation, people around the world are more connected than ever before. It could be argued that such connectedness has led to the emergence of collective aspirations (Appadurai, 2013 ; Rizvi, 2011), resulting in increasing numbers of individuals seeking access to alternate prospects that extend beyond their borders (Vertovec, 2011). The society in which we now live has been transformed by technology , which has added to a globalising of people today by augmenting opportunities for connectedness and communication , across and beyond borders. Importantly, technology plays an infl uential role in the education of indi-viduals as it continues to connect and transform the opportunities afforded to cul-tures and communities (Harasim, 2012). As a major driver of mobility, education is just one of many ways in which glo-balisation has impacted upon the aspirations of individuals, and access to education and learning continues to expand in the online realm. Since the establishment of the Open University in the UK in 1969, online learning courses and programs (Harasim, 2000) have become available across a myriad of disciplines and for a range of purposes, including education, language learning, professional development , and business management. Today , largely in part attributable to developments in Internet access, online learning has become ubiquitous in response to the busy lives of the modern individual. Increasing steadily since 1984 (Harasim, 2012), there are now a number of forms in which technology-mediated learning manifests, ranging from formal online courses (such as those mandated in the tertiary education space) to informal learning applications available on handheld devices and social media plat-forms. In response, universities around the world have acknowledged the desire for fl exible learning, and expanded offerings of courses and programs to suit the needs of their clientele. Some universities in the UK now place enrolled distance learning cohorts at more than 50,000 students across 150 different countries (Balfour, 2013). Similarly, in the USA and Australia , online learning is increasing in popularity, extending access to individuals from numerous nation states. Although online learning continues to grow in formal tertiary settings, there is simultaneously an increasing appetite for informal learning that has seen a signifi -cant shift towards the provision of fl exible, free online courses. The development of massive open online courses, or MOOCs , has provided a pathway for individuals to engage with prestigious institutes such as Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge at no cost. With access to content delivered by some of the world's top institutions, it could now be argued that education and access to a global network of learning resources is no longer a privilege afforded to the elite. A reduction in the cost of Internet technologies has resulted in increased access to a global network of resources and tools , and importantly collaborative learning circles. Such access marks a change in the traditional culture of university settings. An increasingly heterogenous student body is signing up to partake in free online programs. These programs have been made available through several different networks including Apple's iTunesU and MOOC platforms such as Coursera , Udacity , and edX . Widespread access to these resources initially caused speculation about a signifi cant upheaval in the delivery of higher education in the future (Daniel, 2012). While much of the hype surrounding MOOCs has now settled, the apparent need to revisit A. Dabrowski and J.M. Lodge