Dr Ben Brabon Massive Open Online Courses in the Arts and Humanities, UClan , 25 April 2014

1. Monstrous Pedagogies and Questions of Credit:A Case Study on the UK’s First Undergraduate Credit-bearing MOOC Dr Ben Brabon Massive Open Online Courses in the Arts and Humanities, UClan, 25 April 2014

2. Overview of Presentation • Context • ‘Something wicked this way comes’ • The MOOC • MOC1001 Vampire Fictions • Pedagogical Challenges and Opportunities • Knowing the ‘Unknown Learner’ • Levelness • Recommendations

3. Context By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes. [Knocking.] Open, locks, Whoever knocks!

4. Something wicked this way comes • A monstrous pedagogical problem? • ‘The larger the MOOC […] the more it destabilizes the centrality of the teacher's role within the course. [A]t massive scale, that relationship cannot be expected to be directly reciprocal. Even where a MOOC instructor centers a course on his or her expertise, the scale of the class violates the convention of personal focus and contact between teacher and student. In MOOCs with 20,000 or even 2,000 students, teachers cannot humanly assess and validate the mastery of those learners.’ • Stewart, B. (2013) Massiveness + Openness = New Literacies of Participation? Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 9(2)

5. Something wicked this way comes? • ‘I have no previous experience of MOOCs beyond a generalised sense of unease being felt within the subject community as noted in the rationale. The sense I have encountered is that developments here will be with provision that is not based in Humanities, so this is an innovation that I think will attract broad interest beyond Edge Hill. I am satisfied that this is building upon existing uses of technology and, while the first iteration will inevitably involve some ‘snagging’, I am confident that the student experience of the module will be well-supported. The Learning Outcomes might be added to to represent the e-skills the students will employ to successfully complete this module and also the process of peer-review as you perhaps underplay these activities. I hope Dr Brabon will work with the HEA to bring his experience of this module to the English subject community.’ (External Examiner’s Comments)

6. The MOOC • Personal experience not defined by a top-down approach • Developed out of research interests in Gothic literature • HEA Teaching Development Grant – e-Gothicist • Delivered without a partner using Blackboard’s CourseSites

7. The MOOC • 20-credit, level 4 MOOC – MOC1001 Vampire Fictions • Developed out of existing 20-credit level 5 module – LIT2035 Vampire Fictions • LIT2035 defined by a strong blended approach – webinar & critical blog • Student engagement, creativity/innovation • Formative and Summative Assessment • Improved results

8. The MOOC • Genesis of MOOC and validation process a negotiation of openness and control • Institutional containment • A ‘disruptive’ model – no prerequisites/prior learning • Pathways to credit • Promoting a ‘connectivist’ pedagogy • 1) 10-minute podcast presentation (40%) • 2) 1500-word critical blog, plus at least 300 words of comments on issues raised by other bloggers (60%) • Formative Path & Summative Path

9. The MOOC • Tension between cMOOC and xMOOC pedagogies • Underpinned by the process of validation/credit • Benchmark statements • Learning Outcomes • High drop out rate for MOC1001 Vampire Fictions • Module concluded with only 31 students (3% completion rate) • All educated to degree level • A very cautious approach to quality assurance and delivery can inhibit ‘social constructionism’ and ‘connectivism’

10. The MOOC • Personal development and the creative economy • ‘I’m really studying this course for my own personal development and as part of a process of learning to be a writer. It has been immensely beneficial to me in stimulating ideas and focussing my imagination, as well as giving me the confidence to go forward with my writing.’ • ‘I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the live classroom sessions. Ben makes it interactive, so that I’m never worried about interrupting to ask a question. There are lots of links to secondary sources in a range of media, which I’ve found helpful.’

11. Knowing the ‘Unknown Learner’ • Student motivations and expectations • Creative skills • Typical MOOC student already educated to degree level • Examples from Vampire Fictions: • 1) Student A from Holland • Career Development • 2) Student B from Greece • Research for a novel • 3) Student C from Liverpool • Extended HE Taster

12. Levelness • Questions of MOOC levelness • Many MOOCs are not at level 4 and above • Questions about the role of the tutor and levels of support • ‘I’ve recently enrolled on [another] MOOC at Iversity. This course has several thousands of students enrolled and consists of bite-sized video lectures with links to background material for those who wish to go into more depth. Compared to Vampire Fictions, it is impersonal as you don’t have any contact with the tutors. It is less intellectually challenging and there is no opportunity to be assessed. It is interesting and enjoyable, but not as stretching as Vampire Fictions.’

13. Recommendations • MOOCs (in the Humanities) demand that we revisit the relationship between subject-specific skills and more generic transferable skills when planning courses • Quality assurance is important but it can mute connectivist approaches • Traditional subjects with traditional pedagogical values? • MOOCs in the Humanities have a clear role to play in the broader creative economy