scholarly journals The “Code Yourself!” and “¡A Programar!” programming MOOC for teenagers: Reflecting on one and a half years of experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inés Friss de Kereki ◽  
J. Víctor Paulós ◽  
Areti Manataki

Critical thinking and problem solving are fundamental skills to function successfully in today’s world. When programming, these skills are promoted, developed and deployed. In this context, Universidad ORT Uruguay and The University of Edinburgh co-created in 2015 a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) that teaches young teenagers how to program. The course was offered simultaneously in two versions: in Spanish, called "¡A Programar!" and in English, called "Code Yourself!", which are available on the Coursera platform. Since its launch in March 2015, more than 161,000 people from 197 countries have registered. Initially it was offered in a "fixed session"; while currently it is offered in an "auto-cohort" mode. In both cases, student surveys indicate that the course has met or exceeded expectations (values above 93%). In this paper, we detail the characteristics of the MOOC, and we analyze and compare the results for the two delivery modes.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33348
Author(s):  
Kétina Allen da Silva Timboni ◽  
Andrea De Araújo Rupert ◽  
Margarete Schlatter

Curso Autoformativo de Português para Intercâmbio (CAPI) is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) that aims to prepare students for academic exchange programs. The didactic materials of CAPI are being designed based on a perspective of language use (Clark, 2000) and discourse genres (Bakhtin, 2011). This paper analyzes the course contents in order to examine how this theoretical construct was put into practice in the selection of themes and texts and in the design of the pedagogical tasks. The materials are coherent with the theoretical perspective in that they foster the learning of Portuguese in use and to use through the interaction with oral and written texts in social practices in which students might participate in the university and the city of destination, thus preparing them for their stay. The addition of explicit reflection on possible implications of interlocutors’ relations to the use of linguistic-discursive and cultural repertoires is suggested.


Author(s):  
Michael Blömer ◽  
Francis Brouns ◽  
Alain Duplouy ◽  
Stefan Feuser ◽  
Simon Malmberg ◽  
...  

The paper presents the international, multilingual teaching project 'Ancient Cities'. The contributors explain the production of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) 'Discovering Greek & Roman Cities', its structure and learning material (such as videos, introductory texts, and quizzes), the participants’ varied demographics and their feedback. Furthermore, they show how the course’s materials were successfully implemented in academic teaching at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and at the University of Pennsylvania.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (02) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Dan Ginting

This research aimed to present an empirical sketch on the implementation of the IMOOC (Indonesian Massive Open Online Course). This online program sought to raise teachers’ awareness of the importance of technology for teaching while at the same time promoting their teaching skills in using technology for learning. The samples of this study included thirty-seven pre and in-service English teachers. This study found the IMOOC served as a reliable online instruction promoting essential aspects of 21-century education such as critical thinking, collaborative, creative and innovative learning, self-reliance, and individualized learning.    


2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 471-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngjin Lee

This study investigated whether clustering can identify different groups of students enrolled in a massive open online course (MOOC). This study applied self-organizing map and hierarchical clustering algorithms to the log files of a physics MOOC capturing how students solved weekly homework and quiz problems to identify clusters of students showing similar problem-solving patterns. The usefulness of the identified clusters was verified by examining various characteristics of students such as number of problems students attempted to solve, weekly and daily problem completion percentages, and whether they earned a course certificate. The findings of this study suggest that the clustering technique utilizing self-organizing map and hierarchical clustering algorithms in tandem can be a useful exploratory data analysis tool that can help MOOC instructors identify similar students based on a large number of variables and examine their characteristics from multiple perspectives.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (S1) ◽  
pp. 55-56
Author(s):  
Nicole L. O’Dell ◽  
Eric Fredericksen ◽  
Sarah Peyre

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Translational Science 101 aims to: (1) Orient the public to the field of clinical and translational science; (2) Provide a brief overview of each phase of translation (T0-T4); (3) Provide real-world examples of clinical and translational researchers and research projects that have directly impacted patients; (4) Provide learners with information on how they can become involved in clinical and translational science through many different avenues (study volunteer, student, faculty member, or study coordinator). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The primary audience for Translational Science 101 is the general public and media outlets who are interested in learning more about clinical and translational science and how this research is improving population health. The University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Institute created the course in order inform the public about the field of clinical and translational science, orient the public to the types of research that fall under the translational science umbrella, and demonstrate how translational research impacts populations. The Coursera Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform was selected to host the course in order promote the greatest level of exposure and also to expand the educational reach of the UR-CTSI to new external audiences. The course was constructed from scratch utilizing the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, an approach that is often utilized to guide the design and construction of asynchronous online coursework. CoI highlights the elements of social presence, cognitive presence and teaching presence as key factors impacting the educational experience learners have when enrolled in an online course. Discussion boards, embedded quizzes, and end of module quizzes were integrated in to the course design to promote learner engagement, collaborative learning, and interactions among learners. The “storytelling” instructional strategy is the backbone of the Introduction to Clinical Science modules, with various researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center explaining their lines of research and how the research impacts patients and communities. Educational research has shown that there are many benefits to including storytelling in instruction (Green, 2004; Geanellos, 1996), including: (1) Stories create interest: The narrative structure increases learner interest and engagement as they are drawn in to a good story. (2) Stories create a more personal link between the learner and the content: Storytelling allows exploration of shared lived experiences without the demands of practice and allows students to make connections between the shared experiences and their own previous experiences and knowledge. (3) Stories provide a structure for remembering course materials: The inclusion of stories facilitates remembering because it is easier to remember a story rather than a list of disparate facts, and stories evoke vivid mental images which are an excellent cue for recall. (4) Stories are a familiar and accessible form of sharing information: Storytelling aids in overall learner understanding as it is a nonthreatening way of sharing information. Storytelling can also enhance course discussions as students feel more at ease discussing a story than discussing abstract or new concepts that they are still in the process of mastering. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Introduction to Translational Science was launched on October 16, 2017, and is automatically scheduled to begin a new session every 3 weeks. To date the course has reported the following analytics: (1) 2308 learners have visited the course page, (a)476 learners have enrolled in the course; (b) 244 learners are currently active in the course; (c) 11 learners have completed all of the requirements of the course. (2)Learners by Continent, (a) North America 31%; (b) Asia 30%; (c) Europe 23%; (d) Africa 9%;(e) South America 5%; (f) Oceania 2%. (2) Learners by Country: Learners have come from 84 different countries from around the world. The 15 highest enrollment numbers are: (a) USA 25%, (b) India 11%, (c) Egypt 3.7%, (d) United Kingdom 3.4%, (e) Mexico 3.2%, (f) Brazil 2.8%, (g) China 2.8%, (h) Saudi Arabia 2.2%, (i) Spain 2.2%, (j) Germany 1.7%, (k) Russian Federation 1.7%, (l) Malaysia 1.5%, (m) Turkey 1.5%, (n) Italy 1.5%, and (o) Canada 1.5%. (3) Gender: 48% women and 50% men. (4) Age: (a) 13–17: 0.72%, (b) 18–24: 19.6%, (c) 25–34: 44%, (d) 35–44: 14.4%, (e) 45–54: 8.6%, (f) 55–64: 7.2%, (g) 65+: 3.6%. (5)Highest Education Level o Doctorate Degree: 17%; (a) Professional School Degree: 14%; (b) Master’s Degree: 31%; (c) Bachelor’s Degree: 27%; (d) Associate’s Degree: 2.3%; (e) Some College But No Degree: 4.5%; (f) High School Diploma: 3.8%; (g) Some High School: 0.75%. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform offers new, exciting opportunities for CTSA institutions to create courses and trainings that are accessible by learners all over the world. This greatly expands the educational reach that the CTSA education programs can have, moving beyond hub-focused or consortium-focused education to a much broader audience. The expansion of educational reach can promote increased visibility of the CTSA program, encourage collaborations amongst researchers at different institutions, and also inform the public about clinical and translational science, potentially fostering advancement opportunities.


Open Praxis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 427
Author(s):  
Janet Small ◽  
Andrew Deacon ◽  
Sukaina Walji ◽  
Tasneem Jaffer ◽  
Jeff Jawitz

Our research explores the experience of adults looking for flexible online learning opportunities that intersect with university study. We interviewed 58 people living in 14 African countries who have taken a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed by the University of Cape Town. The interview data reveals diverse uses of MOOCs in workplace contexts. While only two of those we interviewed articulated a goal of making a career change, there were many more taking a MOOC for some form of self-development within their current profession. There were also cases where people had not yet identified a new career, but believed the knowledge and skills would support future transitions. Our intentions for exploring the expectations of MOOC takers regionally is to improve our understanding of how universities, following open practices, could support the educational aspirations of this audience through the provision of flexible online learning opportunities.


Paleo-aktueel ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Douwe Van der Tuin ◽  
Anita Brongers-Warmelink

From poo to pit. Bridging the gap between science and society. What drives scientists and researchers to make their research accessible to a wider audience? In this article, we focus on a concrete example of valorization. Merit Hondelink and the Scholierenacademie (the pre-university academy of the University of Groningen) collaborated on a Massive Open Online Course for primary school students. This example of public engagement shows that the exchange of knowledge and skills between science and society provides new insights for both parties. Hondelink’s research focuses on eating patterns of early modern Dutch people. In the MOOC, students investigate what the men in the Oudemannenhuis (old men’s house) in Delft ate, using scientific methods.


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