By Azer Bestavros
For-Profits & Adaptive Learning
Broadly defined, adaptive learning is the use of data-driven tools to design coursework that responds to individual students’ abilities. Courses featuring adaptive technology typically use assessments to constantly adjust content, giving students extra help to master concepts or to skip ones they already understand. Career Education Corp. has begun one of higher education’s broadest experiments with adaptive learning. Institutions in the for-profit chain have powered more than 300 online course sections with the emerging technology, and enrollments in those courses have topped 11,000 students.
Udacity on MOOCs for Credit
Udacity provides context around the suspension of their pilot to offer MOOCs for credit at San Jose State University.
CETLI Report and Next Steps
TO: Boston University Faculty
FROM: Robert A. Brown, President; Jean Morrison, University Provost
DATE: July 15, 2013
SUBJECT: Report of the Council on Educational Technology & Learning Innovation and Next Steps in Organizing BUx
We are writing to update you on the results from the work of the Council on Educational Technology & Learning Innovation (CETLI). The council was formed last fall to advise us on how digital learning platforms might change residential education and expand our capacity to educate new communities of learners. CETLI’s report and our initial charge to the committee are now available to BU faculty on our internal website.
We want to thank CETLI and its co-chairs, Elizabeth Loizeaux, professor of English and associate provost for undergraduate affairs, and Azer Bestavros, professor of computer science and director of the Hariri Institute, for their thoughtful and diligent efforts to produce this report within the span of an academic year.
We believe the report makes a compelling case that advances in digital learning software environments, internet availability, and hardware technology are the means for a fundamental transformation of how we may improve the quality of residential education and reach new cohorts of students beyond our campus. The report makes a number of important recommendations about how Boston University should proceed to explore and possibly adopt digital educational technology, “strategically, purposefully, and with caution.” The guiding principles for the strategy are summarized in Part One (page 7) of the report.
Our plan is to discuss the majority of the recommendations made by the council early in the fall 2013 semester. However, several of the CETLI recommendations align directly with current actions we are taking to move forward with the creation of BUx — the Boston University platform within the edX Consortium — and with outreach to engage faculty in the development of digital learning experiments that will inform our strategy.
In the report, Recommendation #1 is that we create a Digital Learning Initiative (DLI), a faculty-led, professional team that will spearhead the University’s initiatives in online learning and that will be responsible for the development of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) that we will offer as part of our involvement in the edX Consortium. We are moving to establish the Digital Learning Initiative and we are pleased to announce that Professor Chrysanthos Dellarocas of the Department of Information Systems in the School of Management has agreed to serve as the first director. Professor Dellarocas is an internationally known scholar in the fields of online reputation and social media and is current chair of the Department of Information Systems in SMG. In his role as director of the DLI, he will report to University Provost Jean Morrison. An Executive Committee composed of Beth Loizeaux, Azer Bestavros, and Tracy Schroeder, vice president of information services & technology, will assist the provost with the oversight of DLI, which will be housed in the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering.
In addition to building a team that will lead our efforts in the use of the edX platform and in creating our first MOOCs, the DLI will be responsible for working with faculty members to launch digital learning experiments funded by the seed grant program sponsored by CETLI. Over the next few months, we will assemble the professional staff of the DLI with the goal of launching full operations at the beginning of the fall semester. We will launch the seed grant program with an initial budget of $400,000 that will be distributed during the fall.
There are other important recommendations in the CETLI Report that we will consider and possibly implement in the fall. A number of critical policy questions arise with the adoption of digital learning environments and the University’s commitment of significant resources to the development of digital materials. One is how to define ownership of digital material that is produced with the use of University resources. A second question is how to define the boundaries of faculty teaching in the context of new opportunities for participating in digital learning for nontraditional student cohorts and other entities. We will ask the Faculty Council and the Faculty Policy Committee of the University Council to take up these issues in the fall with the goal of adopting clear policies.
There is much work to do to understand and realize the potential of digital learning to improve and expand the educational programs at Boston University. The CETLI Report proposes commitments we should make, and we are implementing the first of these. We look forward to the discussions in the fall as we consider the other initiatives in the report.
MOOCs and the Future
A perspective from Cathy Davidson...
Over and over, MOOC Mania is swamping lessons learned over the last decades from all the other kinds and forms of creative, interactive online learning, distance education, continuing education, and open peer-to-peer learning. Faculty are freaking out because suddenly MOOCs are the only thing anyone seems to be talking about. It's a takeover! The zombie apocalypse comes to academe! The problem is that, as with the video game hysteria, all the excitement distracts us from the seriousness and the range of problems and exciting possibilities for open, online, and classroom learning that deserve our serious attention.
Let edX Grow
Reacting too quickly to faculty concerns about edX while it is still in its infancy may undermine its maturation.
Are we to blame for MOOCs?
Far from a radical innovation, MOOCs are simply the natural extension of trends that have been at the heart of the modern university for decades. Defenders of the status quo are reminiscent of Casablanca's Captain Renault, who is "shocked, shocked" to discover an activity in which he himself partook. In April, the philosophy department at San Jose State University published an open letter bashing the use of Michael Sandel's MOOC, "Justice." Those professors compared the situation to "something out of a dystopian novel." ("Departments across the country possess unique specializations and character, and should stay that way," they wrote.) Such rhetoric notwithstanding, faculties have been deeply invested in the logic leading to the rise of MOOCs, and are fundamentally ill-prepared to mount a serious intellectual argument against them.
BU Joins Leading Online Course Platform edX
05.21.2013 By Rich Barlow (from BU Today)
Membership obligates BU to offer five MOOCs (massive open online courses) via edX, says Jean Morrison, University provost. MOOCs typically enable people around the world to take a university class for free, sans credit. But BU and edX also espouse blended, or hybrid, courses: for-credit classes that mingle face-to-face instruction with online work, says Elizabeth Loizeaux, associate provost for undergraduate affairs and cochair of the University’s Council on Educational Technology and Learning Innovation (CETLI).
Dan O’Connell, edX spokesperson, says hybrid courses allow professors to shift time normally spent on lectures to one-on-one or small-group teaching, to field trips, or to additional lectures delving more deeply into topics. O’Connell says early results from a pilot project edX is running in California show decreased failure rates in a hybrid course, compared to the traditional classroom version.
“The hybrid model provides the best of both worlds,” says Loizeaux, a College of Arts & Sciences professor of English. “It promotes the face-to-face nature of…classroom interactions,” both students-to-teacher and between students. It simultaneously offers students “the flexibility to access content online at their own pace,” she says, while allowing faculty to use technology for “presenting information and assessing learning outcomes in ways that are not possible in a traditional classroom setting.”
BU President Robert A. Brown says he is delighted that the University is joining the edX consortium. “I am pleased to help pioneer the development of digital learning environments,” says Brown. “And I’m excited about the opportunity to use these enhanced learning tools for our residential students, and to invent new hybrid educational platforms as the next step in our ongoing significant commitment to online learning, especially for our students in graduate professional programs.”
EdX will also extend BU’s significant global reach, both by making BU professors and courses accessible to a global audience, and by increasing global connections for BU students. For example, study abroad might be enhanced by online minicourses before, during, and after the main course; online modules or courses could connect BU students with other students around the world; and online courses might even enable students whose schedules currently keep them at home to study abroad.
EdX’s ability to help professors evaluate how well students are learning course material was a big factor in BU’s choosing it over other platforms, Loizeaux says. The edX platform is designed to capture data on how students learn, she says, a capability that put it head and shoulders above other platforms BU considered, because it will aid professors in understanding which pedagogical approaches best advance student learning.
What kind of data? “We are talking about ‘big data’ from hundreds of thousands of learners,” O’Connell says. (According to edX, 700,000 students currently use its platform.) “EdX collects every click, and also, along with collaborating universities, conducts surveys throughout each course.”
The data dig deep into the digital weeds, he says. For example, says Azer Bestavros, CETLI cochair and a CAS professor of computer science, “Course evaluators can see how often a student rewinds to review parts of lectures—possibly indicating that clarifications are necessary—and also factors affecting students’ completion of courses. Such data goes beyond that available from courses offered by BU and taken by BU students.” Bestavros notes that for any hybrid courses the University develops on edX, “we will have full control regarding what we measure and how we analyze it, and…that data will not be shared with other institutions.” Only aggregated data from all edX members is shared, he says.
As a nonprofit in a field filled with for-profit competitors, edX “aligns with CETLI’s sense of values and what we believe to be BU’s best interest,” says Bestavros, who is also director of the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering.
The first hybrid courses on edX likely will be available “within the next couple of years,” Loizeaux says, while the MOOCs will be available in one year. EdX will complement, not replace, BU’s Blackboard e-learning system.
With more than 200 universities worldwide hoping for admission to edX—and with several elite institutions already in—“we are extraordinarily excited to be joining edX,” Morrison says. “It gives us the opportunity to collaborate with the consortium members on using their experience to better understand online learning.…We can learn from each other and develop best practices around higher education.”
Along with BU, edX welcomes several other institutions, including Cornell University, Davidson College, Berklee College of Music, Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium), Munich’s Technical University, the University of Washington, China’s Tsinghua University, Peking University, Japan’s Kyoto University, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), and the University of Queensland (Australia).
They join the founders plus the University of California, Berkeley, Rice University, the University of Texas, Wellesley College, Georgetown University, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland), Australian National University, Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands), and Canada’s McGill University and the University of Toronto.
“EdX is thrilled to welcome Boston University,” O’Connell says. Calling the University “a world-class institution with top faculty and courses,” he says the partnership will benefit both: edX will help BU “incorporate sophisticated online course work into its on-campus curriculum,” while BU “will help us extend our range” of courses reflecting “the diversity of the people on our platform.”
President Robert A. Brown created CETLI to examine developments in online education and recommend a plan for extending BU’s current technology use to enhance instruction for tuition-paying residential students. It also is to recommend ways to reach new audiences off campus who wanted to sample the University’s offerings. As part of its work, CETLI sponsored a symposium and forums this spring to discuss the issues it was considering. Through the CETLI Seed Grant program, it will also make grants to faculty to develop innovative approaches over the next year.
It’s all about the platform!
One year after Harvard University and MIT launched edX, a $60 million initiative in which colleges offer online classes at no charge, the not-for-profit company announced today that it is doubling the number of participating universities, including the
Berklee College of Music and Boston University. More
BU Joins edX
EdX Expands xConsortium to Asia and Doubles in Size with Addition of 15 New Global Institutions
EdX continues to grow its network of the world's leading institutions of higher education to meet global demand and increase access to quality education
CAMBRIDGE,
Mass., May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- EdX, the not-for-profit online learning initiative composed of the leading global institutions of the xConsortium, today announced another doubling of its university membership with the addition of its first Asian institutions and further expansion in the Ivy League. The xConsortium is gaining 15 prestigious higher education institutions, bringing its total to 27, including Tsinghua University and Peking University in China, The University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science & Technology in Hong Kong, Kyoto University in Japan, and Seoul National University in South Korea, and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The expansion reflects edX's rapidly growing global student body and supports its vision of transforming education by bringing the power of learning to all regardless of location or social status.
EdX also welcomes nine universities from North America, Europe and Australia. In the United States, in addition to Cornell, the Consortium has added Berklee College of Music, Boston University, Davidson College, and University of Washington. From Europe, edX welcomes Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, Belgium's Universite catholique de Louvain, and Germany's Technical University of Munich. The University of Queensland in Australia becomes the second Australian university to join the xConsortium.
"As we continue to grow the xConsortium and offer courses from institutions as diverse as our global community of students, we are moving forward with our mission to reimagine education," said Anant Agarwal, president of edX. "These
schools, with their unique faculties and student bodies, will help us conduct collaborative research on best practices which improve education online and on campus."
While MOOCs, or massive open online courses, have typically focused on offering free online courses, edX's vision is much larger. EdX is building an open source educational platform and a network of the world's top universities to improve education both online and on campus while conducting research on how students learn. To date, edX has more than 900,000 individuals on its platform. The addition of these new higher education institutions will add a rich variety of new courses to edX's offerings:
Asia –
- The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (HKUx), the territory's oldest institute of higher learning and an internationallyrenowned research-led comprehensive university, will provide a series of HKUx courses including Vernacular Heritage in Asia, Chinese and Western Philosophy, Infectious Disease and Public Health, and Law, Economy and Society.
- Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong (HKUSTx) is a world-class international research university excelling in science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. The University is committed to providing an interdisciplinary, forward-looking education nurturing well-rounded graduates with a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
- Kyoto University, Japan (KyotoUx) is a world-class research university founded in 1897 as the second oldest
national university in Japan. Kyoto University has advanced education and research of the highest standards, cultivating its tradition of open-minded dialogue and a philosophy of academic freedom. It currently consists of 18 graduate schools, 10 undergraduate faculties, and more than 30 research institutes and centers. - Peking University, Beijing, China (PekingX), founded in 1898, is the first national comprehensive university in China. With a full spectrum of disciplines and over 3,000 faculty members, Peking University is devoted to excellence in teaching and research, and is determined to make education openly accessible to everyone in China and the world.
- Seoul National University, South Korea (SNUx), Korea's first national university and the indisputable leader of higher education in Korea, wants to share creative knowledge and experiences. SNU has produced fruitful achievements in various fields, ranging from business, politics, natural science, technology, and the arts. SNU will provide a series of SNUx courses on diverse topics.
- Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (TsinghuaX), one of most prestigious higher learning institutions in Asia, is dedicated to excellent education in science, engineering, humanities, social sciences, architecture, management, law, medicine, arts and design. Tsinghua will provide TsinghuaX courses in a variety of areas of study.
Australia -
- The University of Queensland in Australia (UQx)is one of the world's premier teaching and research institutions with more than 45,000 students and 7,500 staff. UQ's teaching is informed by research, and spans six faculties and eight research institutes. UQ will provide a series of UQx courses including Tropical Coastal Ecosystems by Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and The Science of Everyday Thinking by Dr. Jason Tangen.
Europe -
- Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (KIx) is one of the world´s leading medical universities with a mission to contribute to the improvement of human health through research and education. Since 1901, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has selected the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.
- Universite catholique de Louvain,Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (LouvainX) one of Europe's oldest universities, located in the heart of Europe, will provide LouvainX courses in both French and English, including a course on political science (in French) led by Nathalie Schiffino, and a course on international human rights by Olivier De Schutter, the special rapporteur to the United Nations on the right to food.
- Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany (TUMx) is one of Europe's leading universities committed to finding solutions to the major challenges facing society: health and nutrition, energy and natural resources, environment and climate, information and communication, mobility and infrastructure.
United States -
- Berklee College of Music, Boston (BerkleeX), for over 65 years, has evolved to support its belief that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through contemporary music education. With a diverse student body representing over 130 countries and a music industry "who's who" of alumni and faculty that have received 229 Grammy Awards, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today – and tomorrow.
- Boston University, Boston (BUx) is the fourth largest private university in the United States, with a global
footprint and a leading study abroad program, offering 250 programs of study in science and engineering, social science and humanities, health science, the arts, and other professional disciplines. - Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. (CornellX), a world renowned and diverse Ivy League institution dedicated to a mission of teaching, research and public engagement, will provide a series of CornellX courses in areas ranging from engineering and the sciences to the humanities.
- Davidson College, Davidson, N.C. (DavidsonX) has a renowned faculty and innovative transdisciplinary programs that have earned the college distinction as one of the most research-active liberal arts institutions in the country, as well as consistent national recognition for overall quality and faculty-student research collaboration. Over the next few years, Davidson will offer several original DavidsonX courses in a range of topic areas.
- University of Washington, Seattle (UWashingtonX) is ranked number one among public universities nationally that receive federal research and training funds, and since 1975 has been in the top five for public and private universities. The UW is a leader in online learning with 15 online degrees and 40 online certificates, and recently won a prestigious Educause grant for a new undergraduate online degree completion program in Early Childhood and Family Studies.
In addition to adding these institutions, edX recently launched more than 20 new courses ranging from HarvardX's Science & Cooking to UTAustinX's The Ideas of the 20th Century to DelftX's Solar Energy to GeorgetownX's Introduction to Bioethics to BerkeleyX's Introduction to Statistics: Inference to MITx's Mechanics ReView to WellesleyX's Introduction to Human Evolution. These and other online and blended courses offered by xConsortium institutions are designed to take advantage of the unique features and benefits of online learning environments, including active learning, game-like experiences, instant feedback and cutting-edge virtual laboratories.
The new member institutions will join founding universities MIT and Harvard, as well as the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Texas System, Wellesley College, Georgetown University, McGill University, Australian National University, University of Toronto, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Delft University of Technology and Rice University in the xConsortium. The new X University Consortium members will offer courses on edX beginning in late 2013 or 2014. All of the courses will be hosted on edX's open source platform at www.edx.org.
About edX
EdX is a not-for-profit enterprise composed of 20+ leading global institutions, the xConsortium. Founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, edX is focused on transforming online and on-campus learning through groundbreaking methodologies, game-like experiences and cutting-edge research on an open source platform. EdX provides inspirational and transformative knowledge to students of all ages, social status, and income who form worldwide communities of learners. EdX is focused on people, not profit, and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the USA.
