MOOCs与SPOCs:在线课程发展的不同路径与共同问题

MOOCs and SPOCs:The Different Paths and Common Problems of the Online Course Development

MOOCs掀起了一场世界范围的教育技术海啸。然而,MOOCs也给教育界带来至少三个方面的压力,即阻碍提高个性化教学质量目标的实现、阻碍技术本身内在教育价值的实现、影响大学教育的本质功能等。SPOCs是小型的、私人的、在线的课程,可以说在一定程度上改善和重塑MOOCs效果,并受到了哈佛大学等众多知名大学的大力支持。对MOOCs与SPOCs从课程规模、课程开放程度、课程收费、机构盈利、商业模式、课程要素、学分认证、证书获取等方面进行比较,可以发现SPOCs在提高个性化质量、提供优质和可持续的课程、实现技术内在教育价值、提供完整在线课程等方面具有优势。MOOCs与SPOCs发展也面临共同的问题与质疑,比如,传统课堂中诸如小组讨论和教师面对面交流等种种因素会导致MOOCs的失败;MOOCs转移了教师提高学校教育质量的注意力;MOOCs将会减少教师的数目和教学方法的多样性等。

MOOCs have led an ＂education technology tsunami＂ in the worldwide. However, MOOCs have brought the pressure in three aspects at least, including the obstacles to achieve the goal of improving the quality of the personalized teaching, the realization of education value inherent in the technology, the affect of the quality of the university education, and etc. SPOCs are the counter of the MOOCs, which are small and private. To some extent, they can improve and restore the effects of MOOCs, which are strongly supported by the Harvard University. After the comparison of MOOCs and SPOCs in the aspects of scale, openness, fees, profits, business models, curriculum elements, credit transfer, certificate, SPOCs can improve the quality of personalized teaching, provide the high quality and sustainable courses, realize the education value inherent in the technology and provide the complete online course, etc. MOOCs and SPOCs are also facing the common problems and questions in the process of their developments. The problems are as follows：（1） The school will fire teachers and teaching assistants because of MOOCs and SPOCs at the expense of the quality of education;（2） In the traditional classroom, factors such as group discussion and face to face communication with teachers will lead to the failure of the MOOCs; （3） MOOCs will distract the teachers＇ attention from improving the quality of school education; （4） MOOCs will reduce the number of the teachers and the diversity of teaching methods, etc.