Screenshot: MOOC poster April 4, 2013 by Mathieu Plourde licensed CC-BY on Flickr
By: Caroline Brown
Humber College has officially jumped on the free online and distance learning platform, and now offers its very own massive open online course (MOOC) – The Student Research Assistant Tutorial.
The course at Humber, is a seven module interactive tutorial that includes: Introduction to Research, Research Ethics, Project Management, Literature Reviews, Data Collection, Data Analysis, and Report Writing. The tutorial provides training for students interested in becoming research assistants.
“The number of research projects at the college is increasing, so more students are being hired as research assistants – and this was a way for us to provide comprehensive, consistent training,” said Amanda Brown, research coordinator, in a press release.
“We are really excited about this and we want people to know it’s open to everyone … we’ve had some great feedback,” Brown told Humber News.
The course is offered through CourseSites by Blackboard.
“The tutorial incorporates video, interviews, quizzes and storyboards – so it’s a lot more engaging than simply sitting down and scrolling through a pile of documents,” said Brown.
The global arena for university and college level education (including Ivy league and elite institutions) has exploded in popularity since the development of the free online university level, learning platform MOOC.
MOOC’s enable anyone worldwide with access to the Internet, the opportunity to study college or university level courses, gaining a quality educational experience. All the courses are free and in most cases so are all of the learning materials.
Currently, only a select few universities in the United States offer credit for MOOCs, but most do not. However, according to Steve Kolowich of Inside Higher Ed, as of June 2012, more than 1.5 million people having registered for MOOCs through Coursera, Udacity and edX.
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A recent article in The New York Times has highlighted the popularity and some of the fundamental values of MOOCs:
“In less than a year, Coursera has attracted $22 million in venture capital and has created so much buzz that some universities sound a bit defensive about not leaping onto the bandwagon. Other approaches to online courses are emerging as well. Universities nationwide are increasing their online offerings, hoping to attract students around the world. All of this could well add up to the future of higher education — if anyone can figure out how to make money.”
Another recent article from The Wall Street Journal offers its own report card of MOOC:
“The assessment: great potential, but still in need of remedial work.”
More information on MOOC’s can be read here.
To Access Humber’s tutorial, click here and ‘Request enrollment.’
For more information on the tutorial or the Research Assistant Training Program offered by Humber Research, please contact:
Amanda Brown – Research Coordinator
Phone: (416) 675-6622 ext. 5721