BLMOOCs, a proposal for the design of Language MOOCs in a Blended context

摘要

MOOCs are increasingly being used around the world by large numbers of educational institutions. While some people believe that MOOCs are only a transformation of existing technologies, much research has been conducted in the field, and evidence has emerged that supports the notion that this new type of course is here to stay. Elite universities around the world have been conducting programs that include MOOCs in different formats and variations. Among these, Language MOOCs are relatively newcomers, and new studies are being carried out around the world, especially in the last couple of years, to make sense of the debate that goes around the pedagogical value of MOOCs in general and Language MOOCs in particular. Due to the immense number of participants per MOOC, Language MOOCs have the potential to enhance the learning of a second language. This article presents a proposal for the implementation of what we call Blended Language MOOCs, based on the Canvas MOOC framework, as a strategy that can be implemented in Higher Education Institutions around the world.