Back in 2012, the US writer Clay Shirky sounded a warning to academics: pay attention to MOOCs or face the consequences.
Massive open online courses, better known by their mainstream when Shirky warned of their impact on more traditional education.
“Once you imagine educating a thousand people in a single class,” Shirky wrote, “it becomes clear that open courses, even in their nascent state, will be able to raise quality and improve certification faster than traditional institutions can lower cost or increase enrollment.”
I – Word Understanding
mainstream – common or popular
nascent – beginning to show future potential (will become popular/successful)
II – Have Your Say
1. A Massive open online course (MOOC) is a free web-based distance learning program available to a large number of people all over the globe. Have you tried any MOOC?
* If so, please share your experience.
* If not, how do you think it works?
* What course would you like to study thru MOOC’s?
2. MOOCS offer a lot of courses: humanities, business, computer science, psychology, nutrition, math, science, personal development, etc. What would you like to study thru MOOCs?
3. MP3 changed the way we listen to music. Do you think MOOCs would change traditional university education system?
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