Education

MOOC Problems For Consumers and Providers – Grading and Branding

mooc problems
Written by Faizan Patankar

mooc problems

MOOCs are on the rise. However they are yet to be profitable – that’s one of the key MOOC problemsAnd two things that add to that problem are grading of MOOC and branding of MOOC.

I came across an answer on Quora on “What are some problems with MOOCs?” (more here). And the answer to that listed 5 MOOC problems:

  • The Grading Problem
  • Practicality Problem
  • Openness Problem
  • Brand Name Problem
  • Curriculum Problem

Allen Young, the author of the answer has very interesting words on the first MOOC problems on Grading:

“Courses have to walk a fine line between grading too harshly (thus discouraging or invalidating the work of a larger proportion of their students), or grading too loosely (which muddies the signal of how much a student learned in a course). This is complicated by the fact that many (if not most) courses are graded on a pass/fail system (some with a ‘pass with distinction’) – the problem isn’t just “What does an A- mean for this course?” but “What does a ‘pass’ mean for this course?”.”

 

Is Branding Part of MOOC Problems?

“There is some irony in the fact that large numbers of MOOC students might be drawn to a brand name institution because of the perceived exclusivity and thus signaling of that name. I am unsure as to the correlation between the reputation of a MOOC course’s institution and the quality of that course (this correlation will probably rise over time), but there is a definite disconnect between a MOOC’s desire to use these brand names to attract students, and the schools’ reluctance to “certify” potentially thousands of students who complete their courses online.”

 

It’s an interesting take on some of the MOOC problems. These problems are nothing to do with IT, but the practicality and the process of providing and consuming a MOOC.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): What are some problems with MOOCs? viaQuora

About the author

Faizan Patankar

I started Career Geek Blog in 2011 to share my experience in job-hunting. I now focus on careers industry and blogging is just a tool to share that info. Love hacking careers. During the day I focus on my hobby - Engineering.