How to Run a Massive Open Online Course Once the Funding is Over

摘要

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have gained traction across the higher education sector and beyond. However, there are concerns about their future and sustainability. Sometimes academics have no budget to maintain their MOOCs. This paper reports on the work in progress of redesigning a Study Skills MOOC to ensure its value past its funding period. Strategies include: (1) using discussion forums as an open space for comments and not for guided activities; (2) replacing collaborative e-tivities with multiple-choice questions with automated feedback; (3) including sample tweets to encourage participants to connect with the community beyond the boundaries of the MOOC platform; and (4) adding new multimedia resources such as brief video explanations and infographics. By shifting the focus from the learning community to interactions with the content, the Study Skills MOOC is becoming a set of massive open online resources, a MOOR. While its spirit is different, it still provides a structured sequence of materials that can help learners interested in developing their study skills. Our experience might serve as guidance for academics and institutions facing the same financial challenges. We hope that people around the world find the MOOR beneficial and use it to enhance their self-efficacy.