LTAS18.8
MOOC Strategy for 2015
Purpose
Members of the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Sub-committee (LTAS) are invited to
receive information on the MOOC Strategy for 2015 and a forthcoming invitation to Colleges
in the federation to participate in the development of further MOOCs.
Background
In 2012, the University of London International Academy formed a partnership with Coursera
and in 2013, launched four Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The second phase of
MOOC development began in 2014 and its conclusion in January 2015, will bring the current
number of MOOCs developed by the University of London International Programmes to 11.
As of 10 November 2014, the number of registrations for the 9 MOOCs running in 2014 (4
running for a second time and 5 running for a first time) totalled just over 393,000. Together
with the first phase, this equates to just over 568,000 learners overall 1.
The largest University of London International Programmes MOOC to date was the ‘Enhance
your career and employability skills’ MOOC which was developed in conjunction with the
Careers Group and had over 156,000 registrations.
In Winter 2014, the University of London International Academy will begin to evaluate the
MOOCs which have run as part of this second phase and will publish the results in an annual
report scheduled for Spring 2015.
As part of the International Academy’s consideration of a potential third phase of MOOC
development, feedback has been sought from the MOOC teams currently involved as well as
a number of internal teams within the International Academy. This feedback has informed the
development of the ‘MOOC Strategy for 2015’.
The University of London International Programmes will be initiating a call for new MOOC
proposals in early 2015 to representatives from all of the Colleges in the federation. This
invitation will include information on the International Academy’s criteria for selection of
MOOCs as well as guidance on how a MOOC can be developed. Simultaneously, discussions
will be held with current MOOC teams to discuss future plans for existing MOOCs.
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This number does not include the students registered for the ‘Magna Carta and its Legacy’ and ‘Managing the
Company of the Future’ MOOCs which were developed in 2014 but will launch for the first time in early 2015.
LTAS18.8
Recommended Action
LTAS are invited to note the contents of this paper and to distribute to internal colleagues as
appropriate.
A formal invitation for MOOC proposals will be issued to senior representatives of each
College later this month; however in advance, colleagues who wish to register early interest
and/or wish to be included on the distribution list, should contact Julia Leong Son, Academic
Project Manager on [email protected]
Academic Development Directorate
University of London International Academy
January 2015
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LTAS18.8
MOOC Strategy for 2015
The University of London is engaged in the development and delivery of Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOCs) in pursuit of the following aims to:
•
•
•
•
•
further the mission of the University of London in widening the participation of learners
in higher education;
increase the global reach and reputation of the University and the Colleges and
Institute members;
provide ‘tasters’ on content drawn from existing or prospective University of London
International Programmes;
create engaging and innovative learning content which can be accessed by students
and tutors engaged in the delivery of University of London International Programmes;
and
provide opportunities for faculty tutors and instructors to innovate in learning, teaching
and assessment methods.
Operational Strategy 2015
The University of London’s partnership agreement with Coursera will be the basis on which
the University of London International Academy will collaborate with Colleges in the federal
structure in 2015 to deliver MOOCs.
The University of London International Academy will invite colleges to participate in MOOC
developments in 2015 under one of the following themes.
1.
New MOOCs
New MOOCs may be on a range of subject areas and will be chosen according to
alignment with the University of London International Academy’s selection criteria for
MOOCs.
MOOCs already planned for development in early 2015 include:
•
•
Managing the Company of the Future (London Business School)
The Magna Carta and its Legacy (Royal Holloway)
Early discussions have also taken place about possible MOOCs in biomedical science
(Queen Mary) and health and wellbeing (St Georges).
2.
Specializations
Coursera launched specialization MOOCs in 2014, consisting of MOOC combinations of
related subject content and combining with a capstone project.
Current projects planned for 2015 include:
•
•
Professional accountancy specialization linked to continuing professional
development.
Understanding Research Methods MOOC (SOAS) to be potentially combined with
MOOCs from the University of Amsterdam in a specialist link.
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LTAS18.8
3.
Re-purposing existing MOOC content
This is one of the key aims of the MOOC development, which involves the re-purposing of
content for registered students and tutors engaged in University of London International
Programmes. Projects for delivery in early 2015 includes:
•
•
Making available selected content from the ‘Enhance your career and employability
skills’ MOOC (Careers Group) to all International Programmes students.
Making available selected content to all tutors engaged in supporting students on
University of London International Programmes from the IoE MOOC, developed in
association with Dyslexia International in the area of reading and writing difficulties.
4.
On Demand MOOCs
In 2014 Coursera have piloted an ‘on demand’ platform where students can access the
MOOC learning content and assessment at any time. In 2015 we are engaging with
MOOC instructors to establish potential transition of existing University of London MOOCs
to this platform.
5.
MOOCs on Topical issues
The International Academy will welcome approaches from Colleges and Institutes on
particular areas of topical interest and potential University of London International
Programmes. The 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta (Royal Holloway) is one example
of an effective choice of MOOC.
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