美国高校在线教育:现状、阻碍、动因与启示——基于斯隆联盟十二年调查报告的分析

Status,Barriers,Motivations,and Implications of Online Education in the U.S.Higher Education:Based on the Analysis of 12 Years Survey Reports from Sloan-Consortium

为了审视与反思近年来众说纷纭的"慕课(MOOC)现象",从而理性地思考和解决当前国内高等教育在线教育(包括慕课)发展面临的现实困惑与主要问题,本研究采用文献研究方法,基于斯隆联盟连续12年对美国高校在线教育实施状况的调查报告,对美国高校在线教育发展的基本样态、阻碍因素和主要动因进行了分析。美国高校在线教育发展的基本样态为:1)在线教育的战略地位逐步得到认可;2)无论在发展规模、速度还是普及率方面,在线教育已融入美国高等教育发展的主流,成为高等教育系统的有机组成部分;3)在线教学质量逐步获得认可;4)院校管理者对慕课大多持观望态度,慕课对美国高校课程和教学改革的作用有限。影响美国高校在线教育发展的阻碍因素包括教师、学生和社会(雇主)三个方面。推动在线教育持续发展的主要动因包括:1)为了扩大高等教育供给,促进教育公平;2)解决高等教育发展面临的困局;3)满足新一代学习者对多元化学习方式的需求;4)终身学习的普及和强烈需求。在以上基础上,本文提出了慕课未来发展的启示:1)在发展观上,从将慕课视为一个孤立的互联网事件,"回归"到全球在线教育和开放教育发展的大家庭;2)在功能观上,从将慕课视为解决一切教育问题新灵丹妙药,"回归"到在线教育和开放教育的终极使命:为21世纪的终身学习和全球终身学习者服务;3)在系统观上,将独立的慕课纳入以学习者为中心的数字化学习生态系统,构建多元开放的高等教育新体系;4)从远程教育系统的视角重新审视和解决当前慕课所面临的教学效果及学习者保持率问题;5)在院校层面积极实施混合教学,解决开放教育资源(包括慕课)的有效应用问题。

In order to re-assess the divergent viewpoints about MOOC phenomenon, a historical review of the development of online education is critical. This study uses document analysis as a research method. Based on the 12 years survey reports of university and college online education in the U. S. from Sloan- Consortium, this paper analyzed and summarized its status, barriers and major motivations. The strategic position of online education in the long-term development of universities and colleges has been gradually accepted. In terms of scale, speed, and popularity rates, online education has been integrated into the mainstream of higher education in the U. S. , and has been one of the integral components of the higher education system. The quality of online instructions has been accepted gradually accompanying by constant challenges. Most university and college administrators still hold the wait-and-see attitude toward the emergence of MOOC. They think that MOOC has limited effects on the reform of course and instruction in u- niversities and colleges. The major barrier factors for online education are associated with faculty, student, and employer. The major motivations for online education are to expand the supplies of higher education and to promote the fairness of higher education, to solve the problems and predicaments in the development of higher education, to meet the needs of diversified learning styles from the new generations of learners, and to meet the popularities and strong demands of lifelong learning. Based on the above viewpoints, five enlightenments are proposed. From the view of development, MOOC should be considered one family member of online education and open education, rather than an isolated Internet incident. From the view of function, MOOC should focus on the ultimate mission of online education and open education, rather than being considered and used as a fashionable panacea for educational problems. Its ultimate mission is to serve lifelong learning and lifelong learners. From the view of the system, MOOC should be integrated into the new learner-centered e-learning ecosystem, and to serve for the construction of the new multiple open higher education system. We should focus on learning effectiveness and learner retention of MOOCfrom the perspective of distance education system. In order to promote effective applications of Open Educational Resources （ OER ） , including MOOC, blended instruction should be implemented in universities and colleges.