Abstract
Since their initial launch, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have experienced explosive growth as a method of online distance learning. As of 2017, the MOOC landscape has ballooned to almost 10,000 courses offered by more than 800 universities worldwide. From an instructor’s perspective, the biggest draws to such an online platform are the scalability and openness. The benefits are equally attractive from a learner’s perspective as these courses lack prerequisites, are highly flexible, and provide access to education from top university professors. While the term MOOC was initially coined in Canada, Canadian universities have lagged behind their American counterparts in the market. On February 2018, in partnership with the MacPherson Institute and Labster virtual labs, we launched DNA Decoded on Coursera. Aimed at demystifying the complex topic of DNA to a lay audience, our course was just the fourth to be launched by McMaster University. In develo** DNA Decoded, we incorporated several novel approaches including the use of gamified elements to promote engagement with content. In this paper, we explore the MOOC design process from an instructor’s perspective and evaluate the performance of the course 6 months postlaunch.
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Mullarkey, C.E., Vulcu, F. (2019). Mastering the MOOC: Exploring a Unique Approach to Online Course Development. In: Auer, M., Tsiatsos, T. (eds) Mobile Technologies and Applications for the Internet of Things. IMCL 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 909. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11434-3_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11434-3_22
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