Educational Technology News

"Coursera is shifting away from a pay-by-the-course model towards a monthly subscription plan to encourage "binge learning," Financial Times reports."

"Stephen Downes, the designer of the first open source learning course, says education will not be revolutionized by technology that brings the current classroom environment and curriculum to digital platforms."

"Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have quickly become one of the most polarizing developments in higher education. Many in higher ed see these MOOCs as innovations that could mark the turning point in how education is delivered, while others see MOOCs as a distraction, a phase, and a means for diluting a college degree. Whatever your feelings on these massive classes, the developments in how they’re created, delivered, and received have come at a furious pace over the past few months, and we’ve compiled our most pertinent MOOC coverage right here, all in once place."

Whether or not Moocs live up to the hype, technology’s impact on universities is real and growing, Stanford University’s John Hennessy tells Ellie Bothwell

Last week, Penn hosted the Third Annual Learning with MOOCs conference, bringing together leaders in the mass learning system.

"With their low completion rates and other negative performance indicators, Massive Open Online Courses have not transformed the industry the way many once thought they would. Some higher education officials believe MOOCs were a flashy idea that fizzled under the lack of interest and faculty capacity to make the module engaging for students. Now that institutions are leveraging technology and interaction as an essential part of the distance learning concept, their popularity..."

At the Campus Technology conference in Boston, Stephen Downes explained the difference between innovation and transformation.