General Approach & Philosophy:
DS106
DS106 is one of the most innovative MOOCs in terms of its use of technology. It is a digital storytelling course where learners are able to keep their blogs and combine it with the main course blog. There are also additional feature such as alignment banks and radio station that students can use for broadcasting purposes.
The DS106 website claims that it will "Develop skills in using technology as a tool for networking, sharing, narrating, and creative self-expression". Learners will be able to create and frame your digital identity.
As an open participant, you choose to do what you do where you can, by sharing your work, and most importantly commenting on the work of others.
Coursera
Coursera offers a much more curated online learning experience. Their learning platform provides courses and degree programs created by some of the most well-respected universities and academic institutions in the world, including Duke, Stanford, UPenn, the University of Michigan, and many more. Each course is taught by one of the institution’s top instructors. Coursera’offers a wide range of courses and awards ranging from a certification to a complete degree.
Coursera offers its users three different learning options. Students can choose between single courses, specializations (a series of courses designed to improve a single skill) and degree programs. Specialization programs typically take between 4 to 6 months to complete, while degree programs can take up to three years. The following table compares and contrasts DS106 and Coursera in terms of technology, pedagogy and philosophy.
|
(DS106) |
(Coursera) |
|
|
Technology |
WordPress website |
Content Management System |
|
Pedagogy |
Content as a starting point, learners expected to create/extend |
Formal Course Structure & Flow |
|
Philosophy |
This course has taken a very connectivist approach that expects students to develop their online identities and to engage with each-other and the wider online community. Many of the tasks tend to cognitive in nature. The course comes in three flavours: A UMW student; A student from a different course/university; and an “open participant”. |
The Coursera platform typically adopts a behaviourist model. In this particular course, the tutors took on a more constructivist paradigm. Some of the more “connected” students had galvanised themselves into Peer Learning Networks (PLN) and adopted a more connectivist approach to their learning providing a richer experience. |
Conclusions
Coursera offers expertly curated classes created by some of the most well-respected educational institutions in the world and taught by top instructors. As a result, the courses are more expensive than other online learning platforms. However, In my opinion, Coursera is the best choice for an online student looking for a certification or degree from one of the best schools in the world.
References:
https://learn1.open.ac.uk/mod/oublog/viewpost.php?post=127588
https://medium.com/@adiyagil/udemy-vs-coursera-vs-lynda-the-ultimate-comparison-70586665dca5
Comments
New comment
Really like the comparative table, made it very clear to see the differences and a lot less wordy than my entry at https://rebeccahobbs.com/2019/04/14/comparing-moocs-ds106-and-coursera/ !!