Is Massive Open Online Courses, the Future of Education?

Elon University researchers recently launched the Imagining the Internet project, which presented two scenarios describing higher education in 2020 and asked Internet experts, researchers, observers, and users which of the two they most agreed with and why. Once scenario suggested that it would be similar to the way it is now, and the other suggested it would be very different. Sixty percent of the 1,021 respondents agreed with the statement that by 2020 "there will be mass adoption of teleconferencing and distance learning to leverage expert resources [and] a transition to 'hybrid' classes that combine online learning components with less-frequent on-campus, in-person class meetings." About 39 percent of respondents thought that the change would be more modest, and most universities would still require in-person, on-campus attendance of students and would still feature many traditional lectures. Although most respondents expect greater change and greater dependence on technology in higher education, many also are unenthusiastic about the transition. "They are worried over the adoption of technology-mediated approaches that they fear will lack the personal, face-to-face touch they feel is necessary for effective education," says Pew Internet Project director Lee Rainie. (From Campus Technology, August 20, 2012)

Coursera Hits 1 Million Students, With Udacity Close Behind

Coursera has signed up 1 million students for free online courses and rival Udacity has registered more than 739,000 students. However, Coursera co-founder Andrew Ng says the number of active students is significantly lower since many classes have yet to start and many students register but fail to keep up with the coursework. Students participating in these massive open online courses typically watch short video lectures, complete automatically graded tests or assignments, and participate in online communities to work through concepts, but do not receive official university credit in most cases. Coursera works with some of the world's best-known universities, such as Princeton University and the University of Virginia, while Udacity works with individual professors rather than institutions. The companies initially focused on courses for computer science and related fields, but Coursera is expanding into other disciplines. Udacity founder Sebastian Thrun says his company will continue to focus on computer science and related fields. “We are not doing humanities,” he says. Coursera has users in 196 countries with the United States accounting for 38 percent of students, while Udacity has users in 203 countries with the United States accounting for 42 percent. (From: Chronicle of Higher Education. August 10, 2012)

Coders Get Instant Gratification With Khan Academy Programming

The Khan Academy, which has provided free video lectures on subjects such as mathematics, biology, and history since 2006, recently launched a computer science section. Instead of a video, each computer science lesson contains a pane on the left side for students to enter code and a pane on the right that displays the output. The first lesson involves writing code that will draw a face in the right hand pane. After learning to create graphics, students learn animation and eventually game development. The results of coding changes are immediately displayed in the right pane, offering instant feedback. The lessons also include tips for solving common beginner problems. The tutorials use Processing.js, which is based on the visual arts-centric programming language Processing, but can run inside a Web browser without the need for any plugins. The nonprofit academy, which has received financial backing from the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation, was founded by Salman Khan, who has a master's degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from Harvard Business School. (From WIRED Magazine. August 14, 2012)