MOOC本质新界说

The Essence of MOOCs: A New Definition

MOOC的诞生及发展在高等教育领域引发了广泛的参与。中国地方高校MOOC联盟、中国职业教育微课程及MOOC联盟和东西部高校课程共享联盟等迅速建立,各大院校无视自身现实,纷纷一拥而上。一时间,关于大学将死还是大学永存的讨论炙手可热。如何理性认识MOOC及其对高等教育的影响,不但关乎MOOC的发展趋势,而且关乎高等教育的改革方向。文章分别从技术、哲学、国际化、教育发展、教育传播和人才培养等六个方面对MOOC的本质及其可能引发的变革进行了分析。文章指出MOOC是信息技术促进教育变革的成功案例,MOOC加速了知识民主化进程,MOOC促进学习国际化,MOOC实现了远程教育与传统教育的融合,MOOC是自主学习成就精英的舞台,同时MOOC呼唤教师职责的回归。

MOOCs have attracted wide attention and engagement such as University Open Online Courses （UOOC）, Chinese League in higher education. Organizations of Micro-lecture and MOOC for Technical and Vocational Education and Training （CLMM-TVET）, and East-West University Curriculum Sharing Alliance have been quickly established. Universities rushed into the tide of MOOCs without considering their own realities. Debate on whether traditional universities would still be necessary has been at times very hot. Rational understanding of MOOCs and their impacts on higher education is important for the healthy development of MOOCs and the reform of higher education. This article analyzes the nature of MOOCs and the educational reform that they might bring in from six aspects： technology, philosophy, internationalization, educational development, educational communication and talent training. This article concludes that： 1） MOOCs are successful sample of promoting educational reform using information technology; 2） MOOCs speed up the process of knowledge democratization; 3） MOOCs promote internationalized learning; 4） MOOCs help to integrate distance education with traditional education; 5） MOOCs have created an environment for learners to become elites through autonomous learning; and 6） MOOCs call for the return of teacher＇s responsibilities.