The MOOC I signed up for was an Introduction to Food and Health offered by Stanford University and found on Coursera. The course covers global nutrition and health crises, promotes healthful eating, encourages cooking at home, and teaches individuals how to optimize their eating for their health.
The course materials for each week are organized in one tab, and you can add notes and participate in discussion forums to communicate with your classmates and mentors.
Each module has a series of short videos available for your learning and then a quiz at the end of the module to test your knowledge, with unlimited attempts and time allowed. The course has four quizzes in total, each worth 25%, with a required minimum score of 50%.
The tools the course offers to keep you on track with your learning are a pop-up tab that allows you to set a weekly goal surrounding your studying, a schedule tracker that tells you when you started the course and your expected finish date, reminders of upcoming due dates, and messages about course updates from the provider.
Comparing this course to a ‘traditional’ course, it felt significantly more flexible while still having structure. Because the MOOC is completed remotely, I was able to work on it whenever I had time, no matter where I was. I would work on it during my break at work, on the bus, and in many other scenarios that would not be possible with a ‘traditional’ course. Because I saved time in commuting, I completed the course on a faster timeline instead of having to wait for synchronous meeting times. This proved beneficial because I could keep up with my job while ensuring I was learning without compromising my work or education.
As for legitimacy, this course does provide a valid certificate upon completion from Stanford University, however, the certificate costs around $60, thus slightly compromising accessibility. Because I was only trying out the course to gain further insights into MOOCs, I did not pay for the certificate and thus have no proof of my acquired knowledge. ‘Traditional’ courses are also costly, and generally a significant amount more than $6o, thus the MOOC was shown to be a more accessible and economical option.
The difference in certification between a ‘traditional’ course and a MOOC is that a ‘traditional’ course generally helps you achieve a degree whereas MOOCs can provide supplemental knowledge in specific areas without working towards a degree. Both options are beneficial and it would depend on what kind of education the individual was seeking.
As for autonomy, MOOCs provide more freedom and flexibility as they are completed online and asynchronously. This means less time spent on commuting, and additionally, the flexibility to work on the course at any time of day. This may be particularly helpful because it allows an individual to pursue further commitments such as hobbies, jobs, volunteering, and more while still being educated. Because of the lack of structure in a MOOC, this may encourage the student to develop skills in setting goals, developing a routine and schedule, and forming productive habits. In a ‘traditional’ course, there is less autonomy surrounding your schedule, however, having structure is sometimes necessary for individuals, and thus sacrificing some independence may satisfy learning needs.
Regarding connections with my instructor and peers, I found it very difficult to feel connected to other individuals enrolled in the MOOC. It is quite impersonal as many individuals only displayed their first name with no photos attached, thus concealing their identity. Additionally, the instructor sent a mass email that felt impersonal and many peers did not use the discussion forum to communicate. This course felt somewhat isolated as there was no sense of connection to other learners. In ‘traditional’ courses, I find it easier to form connections with my peers and the instructor because I can put a face to a name, speak with those around me, and often have the opportunity to meet with instructors around class time.
The assessment and evaluation methods for MOOCs and ‘traditional’ courses are very similar. Since the covid-19 pandemic, many instructors have opted for online, open-book assessments thus there are no significant discrepancies between the two course formats in this aspect. However, some ‘traditional’ courses still do use in-person assessments and this usually requires more memory retention skills, whereas online assessments are generally more concept-focused and thus require critical thinking skills. Both memory retention and critical thinking skills are valuable meaning the two different course formats will increase your learning skills.
I prefer a ‘traditional’ course over a MOOC for my learning because I feel more motivated towards the course when I feel connected with my peers and instructor. However, a benefit of learning from a MOOC is that all of the course information is available in one place online so you always have a reference point to go back to if you forget or miss something an instructor said.
Overall, there are advantages and disadvantages to both course formats. I believe the greatest asset for an in-person class is the connectedness that inspires interest and motivation, and for a MOOC it is the fact that it provides in-depth information with the ability to revisit course concepts.
I would consider the introductory nutrition course to be an xMOOC rather than a cMOOC as an instructor is providing all of the course material, assessments, and evaluations rather than student contributions. In the course, students can share what they have learned and discuss it in the discussion forum, however, the core concepts and expected knowledge outcomes are provided by the instructor as a ‘traditional’ course would be, further supporting its evaluation as an xMOOC.
This course would likely not be considered an ‘open’ course because Open Educational Resources (OERs) include the ability to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute content (Bliss & Smith, 2017). This course is the property of Stanford University and thus can not be revised, remixed, or redistributed, however, knowledge acquired may be retained and reused in the future by the student without directly using course materials. Because this course does not fully satisfy what it means to be an Open Educational Resource it cannot be considered as such.
I chose to do this particular activity because I do not have much experience with MOOCs, thus I wanted to do an in-depth comparison of the benefits of a MOOC and a ‘traditional’ course. My interest in this was geared towards finding out how to optimize my learning by discovering which aspects of a course I find to be the most effective. In the future, I can personalize my learning to get the most out of a course because I now possess the knowledge about what learning methods work for me. Additionally, I can help guide peers toward what learning style may suit them as now I now know the differences between ‘traditional’ courses and MOOCs.
This activity aligned with my learning goals because I have expanded my knowledge of the educational tools that are available to myself and my peers, as well as learning the advantages of online learning.
Through my critical review of MOOCs, I am now aware of the accessibility MOOCs provide because they can be completed remotely and at lower costs, the flexibility and autonomy you get as you decide your schedule, and the added benefit of increasing your critical thinking skills. In the future, I would take MOOCs to supplement the knowledge from my ‘traditional’ courses or to gain new knowledge altogether.

References

Bliss, T. J. & Smith, M. (2017). A Brief History of Open Educational Resources. In R.S Jhangiani & R. Biswas-Diener (Eds.) Open: The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science. (pp. 9–27). London: Ubiquity Press. Accessed from https://www.ubiquitypress.com/site/chapters/e/10.5334/bbc.b/

Adam, M. (n. d.). Standford Introduction to Food and Health [MOOC]. Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/learn/food-and-health/home/week/1