Engagement with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at the University of Edinburgh has emerged from its strategic priorities to explore and innovate in the area of online and technologically supported approaches to teaching and learning. This paper provides an account of analysis aimed at understanding who Edinburgh MOOC learners are, who elects…

This article describes part of a study that explored the responses of nine- and ten-year-old children during a picture book read aloud in a small group setting in a New Zealand classroom. The read aloud was interactive, where the participants were encouraged to respond to the book and to each other throughout the session. The authors created a…

This paper will present current work on various frameworks that are aimed at guiding the research, development, and evaluation efforts around Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Initiatives and activities, including current work by the National Research Council (NRC) in the context of Learning and Performance Support Systems and MOOCs, will be…

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have been barreling through the field of higher education since the first MOOC was launched in 2008. These free courses were initially believed to be a way to provide a high-caliber education to anyone with Internet access and a will to learn. Although research so far has shown that MOOCs aren't living up…

The teach-learn-assess cycle in education is broken in a typical massive open online course (MOOC). Without formative assessment and feedback, MOOCs amount to information dump or broadcasting shows, not educational experiences. A number of remedies have been attempted to bring formative assessment back into MOOCs, each with its own limits and…

The statement by Hunter R. Rawlings III that "there are no good studies on what constitutes bad online pedagogy" coincides with the creation of a Global Learning Council to define the guidelines that previous online educators have allegedly failed to identify. This article discusses these disparaging remarks by the President of the…

In this paper I use group-analytic, philosophical and psycho-social lenses to explore phenomena associated with the convening of an experiential large group within a two-day conference on the theme of "knowing and not-knowing". Drawing in particular on the work of Earl Hopper, two different models of large group convening--in which the…

The combination of a multi-year economic slowdown and Internet-based technologies has encouraged both traditional and new providers of higher education to offer new courses and programs in response to contemporary needs. In particular, the global crisis of unemployment among young people has spawned new types of qualifications (e.g., open badges),…

An extensive body of literature has examined the benefits and challenges of experiential learning in higher education. At the same time, colleges and universities have increased the utilization of large class sections, both online and face-to-face. To date, little research has examined mechanisms for leveraging the benefits, while mitigating the…

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It addresses one central question: Recognizing longstanding educational inequities, what research-backed practices can…

As online education has exploded in the past decade, the number of physics and physics-related massive open online courses (or MOOCs, to use the industry lingo) has grown substantially as well. Several such courses aim at high school students, especially those involved in the AP Physics program. One of us (BK) was involved in creating two such…

This manuscript intends to elaborate the current status of MOOC movement in the world and to reveal the results of a survey study in which the Turkish higher education institutions' reactions to this movement was investigated. The survey was actually a part of a larger survey study that, as a deliverable of the EU funded HOME project, was…

The article argues that the ongoing usage of audio visual media is falling behind in terms of educational quality compared to prior achievements in the history of distance education. After reviewing some important steps and experiences of audio visual digital media development, we analyse predominant presentation formats on the Web. Special focus…

This article examines how the levels of student interaction change through the use of small groups and moderators in online writing courses. The study examines three technical and professional online writing courses: one course that employs small groups and group moderators and two courses that have no small groups or moderators. The results of…

In response to the diverse needs of individual students--their unique abilities, interests, learning styles, and cultural backgrounds--K-12 teachers have been using differentiated instruction, supported by research, for decades. While positive results have been shown in K-12 education, the literature to support differentiated instruction in higher…