There’s been pushback on some campuses as to the
development of massive open online courses (MOOCs). Faculty have banded
together to block initiatives, faculty unions have raised concerns, and a new report from the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education criticizes
corporate interests in driving MOOC adoption.
George Washington University in Washington, D.C., is
taking a different approach. It’s working with faculty members from the start to
develop a MOOC program.
“We see MOOCs as a way of empowering faculty who are
interested in reaching a very different audience than they’re used to,” Paul
Schiff Berman, vice provost for online education and academic innovation at
GWU, told eCampus News.
“Our approach to MOOCs has not engendered any kind of faculty backlash, which
I’m happy to say.”
The university has not partnered with any of the major
MOOC platform providers. Berman has kept interested professors in the loop when
it comes to the online platforms and has no plans to require instructors to
participate.
GWU faculty members seem to appreciate the more
cautious approach. Professors have expressed interest in working on courses,
even though some remain unconvinced on the topic of MOOCs.
“In general, there’s an effort to move more organically
and be a little skeptical of MOOCs,” said GWU English professor Margaret Soltan,
who has taught a MOOC hosted by the Udemy platform. “It’s always good to be
skeptical of all the rage.”
In addition to including faculty from the get-go, there
has been no discussion about giving credit for MOOCs offered by GWU. Berman
insists it will remain that way for the foreseeable future.
“We don’t see it as a way of replacing our in-person
programs or something that would be credit-bearing,” he said. “There’s
absolutely no move toward using these courses to generate revenue, nor will
there be.”
