December 17, 2012 at 13:40Are there any chances for MOOC in Russia
The rapid spread of the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in the world for the first time in history creates a real alternative to the traditional system of higher education. The total audience of Khan Academy, Coursera, Udacity - already surpasses the audience of previous generation solutions from MIT and Open University. The stated ambition of the alliance of Stanford and MIT to gain a billion listeners in the Edx project actually threatens the entire world market of educational services.
For all countries with their own tradition of higher education, MOOC is a systemic challenge, but also a systemic opportunity. The UK has responded to the challenge by creating a university alliance from Open University and 11 leading universities, and the formation of Futurelearn .
In Russia, the experience of both university alliances and public investment in open courses is extremely unsuccessful. None of the private projects have also achieved impressive success. Universities, as a rule, are infinitely far from an adequate dialogue with the consumer of such courses, do not understand the motives for investing in such content, and do not know how to create convenient interfaces.
Nevertheless, such an “MOOC-like” online university in Russia is needed. First of all, as a means of teaching good students in bad universities. As a way to form over-subject competencies, in addition to purely knowledge forms. As access to the best teachers in the world. Ideally, as a way to form your own educational path and then offset it in a diploma.
The easiest way that comes to mind is to do nothing. As the same Coursera develops, more and more of our students will receive education there, and in English. But so, sooner or later, we will lose education in the Russian language - and through generation and identity. Need a balance.
The worst way is to give big state money to create a state resource. Further it is clear, you can not explain.
You can create a platform by combining leading universities. But why on earth would they do well the work that they have still done poorly?
You can choose a private company (pool of companies) by competition and entrust it to her. It’s also an option, but they don’t want to share content with it.
And how to select courses? Not a government commission?
Or is it time to organize an online university based on Habré, so that the courses select the community?
For all countries with their own tradition of higher education, MOOC is a systemic challenge, but also a systemic opportunity. The UK has responded to the challenge by creating a university alliance from Open University and 11 leading universities, and the formation of Futurelearn .
In Russia, the experience of both university alliances and public investment in open courses is extremely unsuccessful. None of the private projects have also achieved impressive success. Universities, as a rule, are infinitely far from an adequate dialogue with the consumer of such courses, do not understand the motives for investing in such content, and do not know how to create convenient interfaces.
Nevertheless, such an “MOOC-like” online university in Russia is needed. First of all, as a means of teaching good students in bad universities. As a way to form over-subject competencies, in addition to purely knowledge forms. As access to the best teachers in the world. Ideally, as a way to form your own educational path and then offset it in a diploma.
The easiest way that comes to mind is to do nothing. As the same Coursera develops, more and more of our students will receive education there, and in English. But so, sooner or later, we will lose education in the Russian language - and through generation and identity. Need a balance.
The worst way is to give big state money to create a state resource. Further it is clear, you can not explain.
You can create a platform by combining leading universities. But why on earth would they do well the work that they have still done poorly?
You can choose a private company (pool of companies) by competition and entrust it to her. It’s also an option, but they don’t want to share content with it.
And how to select courses? Not a government commission?
Or is it time to organize an online university based on Habré, so that the courses select the community?