Weekly Ed-Tech / Digital Scholarship Trends: February 6th, 2013

Bill of Rights for Online Learners

Stakeholders in educational technology drafted a Bill of Rights for online learners, which then drew criticism from other stakeholders as published in the Chronicle of Higher Ed. That criticism prompted a thoughtful rebuttal from Cathy Davidson. As MOOC companies become more entwined with higher education, expect greater calls for transparency and unease regarding student data and revenue streams.

Coursera’s MOOC Meltdown

Speaking of MOOC’s, ironically, Coursera’s class “Fundamentals of Online Education: Planning and Application” was cancelled due to difficulties with design and technology. A student from the class blogged about feeling cheated because of the course’s failure. It raises questions about the relationship between students and MOOC’s. What is the commitment from an institution to non-paying students? Are MOOC’s all just a grand experiment? What does it mean to be cheated out of something that is free? For those of you interested in teaching a MOOC, read Tucker Balch’s post “Teaching a MOOC: Lessons Learned & Best Balch Practices.”
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Coursera Starts Career Services

Who cares about accreditation if you can connect students with employers?

This afternoon, Coursera launched career services, “with the goal of helping Coursera students find great jobs.” It’s an opt-in service for registered students. Once logged in, students can list their status from “actively looking for a position,” “not looking, but open to hearing about possibilities,” to “not looking.”
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