Postgraduate Diploma in Education
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About
Creating a course with thousands of participants is no longer something that only well-funded universities can do. Even individuals who are experts in their subject matter, but not necessarily experts in technology and pedagogy, can create a MOOC, simply by using the right set of tools and techniques.
This course provides you with the know-how to create your own MOOC, and connects you to a community of others with the same goal.
- Are you a lecturer whose courses ought to be available to thousands of students rather than a few dozen?
- Are you a teacher whose style and approach can inspire many students — and other teachers?
- Are you a trainer who wants to showcase his or her educational skills?
- Are you an artisan who can introduce others to the tricks of the trade?
If you consider yourself an expert in the subject matter you want to teach, and have a working knowledge of computers and the Internet, you’re ready to go.
What to expect
Over the next 6 weeks, you will learn about low-cost techniques for developing and managing massive open online courses (MOOCs).
New materials will be released each week which deal with a specific topic, with information presented through a combination of videos, written text, and quizzes. There are many opportunities throughout each module for you to post questions if something is unclear or you just want to make a comment.Questions may be answered by course instructors or other learners.
The Course Team has as much as possible tried to practice what they preach: this MOOC is made in a lean way, which means DIY video production, and re-use of content and student contributions.
Practical tips to help you succeed in completing the course:
Manage your time
Traditional learning forces us to organize our time in order to actually attend a class. Learning on a MOOC involves the same commitment, but it’s up to each individual to create your own learning structure that suits your schedule. Planning your study schedule for the MOOC is crucial to completing it.
We recommend that you use Google Calendar, or other online tools you might be familiar with, to develop your own study plan. For this MOOC, you should aim to set aside blocks of time totalling 2 to 4 hours each week for the duration of the course – and you can set reminders to help you get organized. Try to set up a schedule for the first week, and adjust it at the end of the week if it’s not realistic.
Be an active learner
As a participant in this MOOC, you are part of a ‘learning community’ which is hugely diverse – the people who have signed up have various levels of experience and expertise with online teaching tools, which we hope to be able to harness so that everyone has the opportunity to learn from the collective knowledge and experience of the group.
In this sense, this course should not only be considered as a pre-packaged course on the creation of low-budget MOOCs, but also a catalyst for generating an additional knowledge- and experience-based body of knowledge that will be expand over the next 6 weeks through your participation and contributions – and which will be available after the MOOC has ended for the benefit of everyone doing this course.
This course is based on a belief that many of you have relevant expertise and experience and we encourage you to enhance the course by contributing to the discussion forums.
Take notes
There’s a lot of material covered in this course which will be of use when you get to the point of building your own MOOC. Take notes as you go along – using paper and pen, devices or an online service, e.g. EvernoteLinks to an external site..
Make it more fun
Traditional learning environments have an important social element – MOOCs are somewhat different. It may help to do this course with a friend or colleague so that you can discuss what you are learning with someone face to face – so why not share the enrollment link to someone you have regular contact with who might be interested in signing up.
Make this MOOC count
If the subject dealt with in the MOOC is related to your work, why not ask your boss, HR department, professional association or those responsible for staff training and development in your area if this MOOC can count towards continuous professional development credits and be acknowledged in your record
Admissions
Courses
Assessments
You may choose to participate in this course at any of the levels described below, depending on what you want to get out of this course:
- Viewing and reading the course materials to gain an insight into the low-cost techniques that can be used to build MOOCs – You may go through the materials each week without doing the quizzes – though you are welcome to participate in this way, there is no certification if you choose this option.
- Viewing and reading the course materials + taking the quizzes at the end of each week to gain an Attestation of Participation. You need to score 60% or above to attain this certificate.
- Viewing and reading the course materials + taking the quizzes at the end of each week + completing assignments to gain a Certificate of Completion. You will also be asked to do a short exercise at the end of each week, which may include preparing a plan, recording a video, etc.. You may upload these exercises to the platform (instructions will be given on how to do this after each exercise) for your peers to comment on. You should keep an electronic copy of all of your completed exercises and these will be submitted as a portfolio towards your final grade in week 6.
- All of the above + building your own MOOC to gain a MOOC Builder Certificate that adds credits to your Postgraduate Diploma. You will have access to the course materials, tutors and fellow participants for a period of three months after the end of the course, as a source of additional support to anyone who wishes to build a MOOC. Completion of your MOOC within this time frame will earn you a MOOC Builder Certificate.
- By the end of this course, all PGD Students in TESOL, TASOL, TFSOL, TSSOL, and TCSOL must be able to create either a MOOC (Free Open Source) or an online e-Learning course (Restricted Paid Course).
Prerequisites
Experience in a classroom setting, and familiarity with pedagogy and/or making online courses will be an advantage, though it is not a requirement for participating in this MOOC.
What’s in this course?
- Planning a MOOC-building project
- Designing MOOCs based on pedagogical approaches that facilitate effective learning,
- Tools and techniques for creating videos and other learning materials,
- Sourcing relevant learning materials from the web for your MOOC,
- Developing assessments at large scale through the use of quizzes and peer assignments,
- Promoting your MOOC and retaining your learners.