MOOC-based educational program and interaction in distance education: long life mode of teaching

摘要

Modern educational technologies might be perceived as practical and sufficient equipment for presenting educational tasks that simulate authentic language use. Through a defined procedure, learning activities can be delivered in the course of technology-based apparatus to change, manipulate, and control learners' educational environments. Today's teachers' challenge has transformed from the best teaching method to the best teaching apparatus. One of the foremost kinds of these potentials is Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). It has received special attention in the recent years derived from Open Educational Resource (OER) movement. To investigate the effectiveness of such programs, this mixed methods and explanatory sequential design study evaluated a MOOC-based educational program in Baqer al-Olum University, Iran. Thirty-eight tertiary learners have participated in the study. Among them 20 learners participated in the MOOC-based educational program and 18 learners participated in a conventional English language class. Pretest/posttest and interview were employed to reach comprehensive data. The findings indicated that MOOC-based educational programs provide remarkable opportunities for language learners. Along with such opportunities, these new technology-based educational apparatuses provide challenges for stakeholders, policy makers, teachers, and learners that might constraint learners' development in the course of their actions. Discussions and implementations are discussed.