MOOC's are Overhyped

Before I go into the over-hyping of a new trend in instructional technology, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC's), I will state that I am 1) a fan of innovation 2) support free education (especially to developing countries/communities) and 3) interested in finding solutions to educational challenges using technology. There have been several efforts to deliver free educational content to a massive audience and the most popular are the Khan Academy and Coursera, respectively. The Kahn Academy delivers interesting and attention getting videos that allow for the audience to learn complex math or even have current laws such as SOPA and PIPA explained very well. I have a fourteen year old in the house who has benefited from Kahn in the area of math and I use the SOPA and PIPA video in my Communications Law class. In addition, I have attended Coursera offerings for my own professional development. They both have been great supplemental tools for learning. That's just it - they're supplemental, at best, yet thousands are over-hyping MOOC environments as being the next big thing to change Higher Education (http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2012/12/11/how-moocs-are-changing-higher-ed/). In fact, the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), Educause, Edutopia, MacArthur Foundation, and even the Chronicle Higher Education have recent articles praising and in the end, over-hyping, MOOC's. Why is it over-hyped? Because they are missing crucial elements to make them anything but supplemental. For starters, there is little to no contact between the student and instructor. This is a critical element in the educational process - feedback, coaching, and guidance are extremely limited in these examples. However, if a MOOC used as a supplement by an instructor where students can participate in the massive environment and then be brought into an environment where feedback and individual attention can be provided - MOOC's can be a useful tool. In addition, MOOC are extremely useful in situations where remedial training or professional development is concerned, as I mentioned doing in the past myself. If that was the limit of hype surrounding MOOC's - I would be alright with it. What is over-hyping MOOC's are the same hang-ups that have kept online learning from taking over education. Remember that over-hyping a decade ago? Online courses were going to "revolutionize" education and many feared that the student/teacher interaction in brick and mortar classrooms would go away. Contrary to popular belief at that time, education has actually taken a step back from full online courses and offering more blended learning courses. Forbes reported in 2011 that K-12 institutions were making this change in 2011 and Higher Education was following suite (http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhorn/2011/01/27/the-rise-of-k-12-blended-learning/). What forced many educators to shift back to blended learning courses rather than continuing to offer only full online only courses? We learned from the medium. We learned that online learning was optimal for specific types of content and learning. We also learned that not every student was suited for the online learning environment. In a university setting, it has changed the way I advise students in the courses they will take. These lessons have also changed the way I teach in online environments. Innovation in education technology is great when applied for the right objectives and outcomes. MOOC's are nothing more than an introduction to a topic, a supplemental medium, and a social environment where students can learn together. Let's not fool ourselves, though, and think that the importance of a one-on-one relationship with an instructor/mentor can ever be replaced or is not an important element.