MOOC comparison DS106 v FutureLearn (or cMOOC v xMOOC)
Signup
DS106 has a very text-heavy sign-up page and there is immediately the necWeb 2.0 teaching tools to enhance education and learning — Edjudoessity for an existing blog page and a Twitter account for collaboration and communication purposes. I have both of these already, but the likelihood of learners in my professional context having both would be relatively low.
FutureLearn's signup is far simpler and less text-heavy with pretty much just an email and a password, much like signing up to many online services, so it should be within the capabilities of most learners.
Neither signup necessitated my opening my email to confirm.
Menu system / navigation
DS106 is text-heavy and once your blog and navigation seems based on previous experience of other sites. A much rougher looking Web 2.0 style aesthetic.
FutureLearn's menu system is very clean and easy to follow. There are images and clear titles to find areas and courses. FutureLearn is far more professional in appearance. Very modern in terms of the web design style.
A fundamental difference, however, is that FutureLearn just provides a platform for many institutions to hold what appear to be much smaller more focused courses of around 6 weeks work. DS106's whole site is more dedicated to one course or the main area of learning, digital storytelling. So much of the content immediately strikes you as learner-generated.
I'd have to add that as DS106 focuses solely on one area of learning, or one collective pursuit, its website could be considered simpler in that regard. However, as a learner is also directed in the 'Quick Start' section to perform the following...
- Create a Gravatar
- Create social media accounts on Twitter, flickr, google, SoundCloud
- If you will create/use a blog for your work, register it at ds106
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Explore the remix tool for assignments
...there is so much learner autonomy required and a greater degree and variety of digital literacies. But they do give you all the necessary links and a clear list of tasks to achieve.
Nevertheless, you do get the immediate 'presence' of being a part of a community. Especially by adding your blog and Twitter at the beginning. That connection is immediate.
Content and Schedule
FutureLearn
Joining the British Council's Understanding IELTS 6 week course, the schedule and the course progress is very clearly set out with activities numbered in order. The activities are readings, audio recordings, and videos with quizzes all rigidly connected to the topics. It's impersonal, and there isn't any collaborative spaces or anywhere where real communication is engendered other than a reflective comment area after each activity. However, with these areas being for all users and number of comments in the many thousands, it is unlikely that genuine interactions would be fostered in this fashion.
DS106
DS106's 'About' section features the blurb..
Digital Storytelling (also affectionately known as ds106) is an open, online course that happens at various times throughout the year at the University of Mary Washington… but you can join in whenever you like and leave whenever you need. This course is free to anyone who wants to take it, and the only requirements are a real computer, a hardy internet connection, preferably a domain of your own and some commodity web hosting, and all the creativity you can muster.
Also there is a funny learner created video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Twc51r300Q
This really supports the friendly, informal, personalized and learner generated spirit of everything within this community. It doesn't take itself too seriously.
Nevertheless, as the video details, the task based freer approach tied in with feedback and help from other members had the learner learning by doing and within weeks was accomplishing things they had never undertaken before. This guided community of practice was generating real practical artefacts. For example, the learner created video that incorporates and is generated with the skills learnt in the course is an excellent illustration of a course that produces results which themselves serve as the means of production of future courses. This sustainable and dynamic model is very attractive and pulls the learner in so much more than the staid and boring xMOOC style of FutureLearn.
Pedagogy
Clearly the pedagogies differ greatly between the two MOOCs.
The BC's IELTS MOOC on FutureLearn takes a far more objectivist and behaviorist approach. Essentially, if we were to use Sfard's two metaphors of acquisition and participation, the FutureLearn MOOC is overwhelmingly that of acquisition with no utilization of the content past some cursory reflection posts.
In contrast, the DS106 MOOC takes a far more connectivist and constructivist approach, where Sfard's participation is key to the learning. The participation is the learning as are the connections that produce the help and advice that engender the production of artefacts through the facilitating activities. The DS106 supplies no real content save a place for likeminded learners to cluster, make connections and a structure with which those clusters of likeminded learners can achieve their goals and learn by becoming a part of a community of practice.