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Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

How can it be that open online learning "doesn't work" when there's so much of it going on? Alastair Creelman offers this line of argument uncritically: "The main reason why non-traditional learners are not attracted to MOOCs is that they are unfamiliar with the concept of online learning and need support and encouragement." Sorry, no, that's just not true. Millions of people have taught themselves everything from basic mathematics to new languages to computer programming and more, all online, and all for free. What failed was the idea of recreating a university course online using the same business model that is barely sustainable even when you charge tuition fees.. What worked? Things like Khan Academy, Codecademy, Wikipedia, Stack Overflow, Microsoft Virtual Academy, Jamie Oliver, Meetup, Ravelry, and thousands more.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

Copyright 2024
Last Updated: Apr 20, 2024 09:00 a.m.

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