I have started a Future Learn MOOC on antisemitism. So far, it seems much stronger than the rather vague MOOCs I had done recently on language and cultures. I wonder whether my more favourable impression is the result of knowing less about the issues than on the previous ones but there does seem a more academic tone and engagement.
Personal Blogs
MOOC on Antisemitism
Monday, 17 Aug 2020, 13:57
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MOOC on Language and Culture
Wednesday, 15 July 2020, 15:48
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Edited by Patrick Andrews, Tuesday, 21 July 2020, 14:52
I have had a relatively quiet time at the moment in terms of tutoring duties so I decided to take a MOOC on Language and culture
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/intercultural-studies-language-culture/6/todo/72483As someone with a Masters in a related area and also being the tutor on L161, I was not expecting to be particularly challenged in terms of the content but I thought there might be some new perspectives.
Despite realistic expectations, I was rather disappointed by the course. Many of the tasks were rather vague. Course participants often posted interesting examples and ideas but there was no interaction with the course writer who might have been able to clarify exactly what she was expecting from the discussion. I think this is quite a serious weakness.
There was a final test that did not seem to be well thought out. It had multiple choice questions and I am convinced that some of the answers that were not accepted could be argued for but there is no chance of dialogue on those.
Some of the content seemed very out of date. For example, there was a document on the Welsh language that seemed to make some dubious assertions and the references were all quite old.
One of the learners also made the good point that sign language should have been considered. This is an issue I have become particularly aware of in the past year as one of my students has been working with deaf students and there is a great deal of variation in language practices and cultures.
Perhaps the content of L161 has spoiled me but I was disappointed by the MOOC. Anyone wanting to study this area would be better off studying with the OU.
MOOC on intercultural studies
Saturday, 6 June 2020, 11:42
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I have been studying a MOOC on intercultural studies for the past week
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/intercultural-studies-concept-culture/6/steps/736782There are some differences from previous MOOCs I have studied. It is shorter (two weeks) but more intense (5 hours per week). There seems to be no presence from moderators/facilitators and some of the discussion questions seem slightly vague and it would be useful to get more feedback on what is expected.
The content is mainly quite familiar to me from previous studies but there are some useful examples which might be useful for future teaching, especially on L161.
Scaffolding language learning on MOOCs
Tuesday, 30 Apr 2019, 16:58
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I recently registered for a MOOC on learning Korean.
I was rather shocked by how little scaffolding there is in terms of basics when it is supposed to be for beginners. The first input is a video and the transcript is in Korean script. There had earlier been a list of Korean characters with very vague advice on their sounds but no practice of these sounds.
I find this very different from the careful scaffolding that is given for most Open University courses.
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