Inventory of MOOCs

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Where do MOOC's fit in the Learning Ecosystem?

What are the various dimensions of the problem we need to be cognizant of?

1. Can we down the costs of production through economies of scale?
2. Are MOOCs a fad or do they represent the latest iteration of some longer term trends?
3. Is there a way we can classify current offerings?
4. Should our institutions consider being consumers or producers?
5. How can components be successfully consumed as parts of an existing learning ecosystem?

1 The EdX "platform" is intended to be open source. It is not clear what license applies to materials delivered on that platform. "The edX open-source online learning platform will feature interactive learning designed specifically for the web. Features will include: self-paced learning, online discussion groups, wiki-based collaborative learning, assessment of learning as a student progresses through a course, and online laboratories and other interactive learning tools. The platform will also serve as a laboratory from which data will be gathered to better understand how students learn. Because it is open source, the platform will be continuously improved by a worldwide community of collaborators, with new features added as needs arise." https://www.edx.org/faq

2 Coursera license: Permission to Use Materials
All content or other materials available on the Sites, including but not limited to code, images, text, layouts, arrangements, displays, illustrations, audio and video clips, HTML files and other content are the property of Coursera and/or its affiliates or licensors and are protected by copyright, patent and/or other proprietary intellectual property rights under the United States and foreign laws. In consideration for your agreement to the terms and conditions contained here, Coursera grants you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Sites. You may download material from the Sites only for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may not otherwise copy, reproduce, retransmit, distribute, publish, commercially exploit or otherwise transfer any material, nor may you modify or create derivatives works of the material. The burden of determining that your use of any information, software or any other content on the Site is permissible rests with you. See: https://www.coursera.org/about/terms

3 Although there are over 1000 courses listed on the OCW site, many of them are different offerings of the same course. The amount of material varies enormously. There are 11 OCW Scholar courses which contain all the materials necessary to complete the course of study (notes, simulations, tests, video lectures):

1. Fundamentals of Biology
2. Introduction to Psychology
3. Introduction to Solid State Chemistry
4. Principles of Microeconomics
5. Introduction to Computer Science and Programming
6. Introduction to Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
7. Single Variable Calculus
8. Multivariable Calculus
9. Linear Algebra
10. Physics I: Classical Mechanics
11. Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism