2014 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
1) To provide insight in creating and managing MOOCs that can be used worldwide to disseminate research, teaching and extension expertise. 2) To address acceptance of MOOCs for degree credit, institutional and instructional benefits, and the overall educational quality of a MOOC learning experience.

Online technology is transforming the way top universities teach and how we can interact with the world in the same virtual classroom. As an educational technology company that partners with leading universities and organizations to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) for free, Coursera’s mission is to connect the world to a great education to foster learning without boundaries. Based on sound pedagogical foundations, their technology enables student’s to master new concepts quickly and effectively in a global community of thousands rather than hundreds. The Coursera platform currently supports over 21 million student enrollments in 571 courses representing 190 countries (www.coursera.org). In this workshop, speakers will provide insight from their personal experiences in creating and managing certified MOOCs in economic food issues, sustainable energy, and agricultural land management with enrollment ranging from 10,000 to 22,000 initial students in a single session.  Additional discussions will address acceptance of MOOCs for degree credit, institutional and instructional benefits, and the overall educational quality of a MOOC learning experience.