Running head: MY MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

My Massive Open Online Course:

History of Rock
Mary Kay Altizer
Azusa Pacific University
EDTC515

MY MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

My Massive Open Online Course: History of Rock

I have to admit that this Masters degree that I am undertaking has been surprising,
informative, difficult, wonderful, scary, and enlightening. Finding out about the various ways
that I can use technology in education has been mind stretching, to say the least, and I know this
newfound knowledge of technology will definitely inform my teaching and help me grow as an
educator. But one delightfully surprising aspect of this Emerging Trends in Technology class
has been the discovery of a wonderful thing called a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

The MOOC Explained

A MOOC is defined in the dictionary as A usually free online course open to anyone
and potentially having a huge number of enrolled participants. According to Continuing
Education expert Deb Peterson (2015), A MOOC is an online college-level course that tens of
thousands of people can attend at the same time, from anywhere in the world they have access to
the Internet. Often times these classes are at a very small cost or even free. Some courses have
a definite start and end time and all students proceed through the online course together. Other
courses have no beginning or ending parameters, and potential students are free to take the
course at any time and proceed at their own speed. This almost seems too good to be true, but is
it? There are many front-runners who are offering MOOCs, but the big three are Coursera, edX,
and Udacity. These sites offer a large variety of courses from major colleges and universities
around the world, covering almost every subject or topic you can imagine. According to data
supplied by EdSurge (2015), just this year the number of universities offering MOOCs has
doubled to cross 400 universities, with a doubling of the number of cumulative courses offered,

MY MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

to 2400. At the writing of this paper, courses are offered in 13 languages, with the vast majority
of the classes offered in English. The benefit of the MOOC is that Universities can attract more
students online who would otherwise not be able to study at their school because of money,
distance, or time.
One university that is taking this new educational format on a test drive is Georgia
Institute of Technology. Rob Walker of Yahoo News had the opportunity to speak with Georgia
Tech College of Computing Dean Zvi Galil and ask him about the possible risks and benefits of
the their MOOC online Masters of Science in Computer Science degree that they are offering.
Some fear that the MOOC could have a negative affect on the university system due to the lack
of tuition dollars coming in. The way Galil (2013) sees it, Georgia Tech may have a slight dip in
tuition dollars due to the online program, but he still sees great benefit in attendance at the
physical university and thinks that traditional education will still continue. Networking and other
aspects of campus life will remain meaningful and he is sure that college campuses will survive
this trend. Galil (2013) refers to this uncharted online class format as MOOC 2.0.
The MOOC: Fad or Fabulous?
There are many opinions out there on benefits and the liabilities of the MOOC. At an
international conference on MOOCs in Montreal, the main impacts of the MOOC on higher
education were discussed. The first impact offered an increased exposure of universities that
have begun to offer MOOCs in their curricular studies. Institutions stand to gain notoriety as
being on the cutting-edge of education they present a new and forward thinking in the area of
class offerings. Secondly, these free classes can function as a philanthropic effort as they open
new educational resources for the public at large, and not just the select ones that can afford it.

MY MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

The third area of impact would be by enticing students to take one MOOC, they would stand the
chance of repeat customers in students signing up for more classes and more university services.
Fourthly, it gives universities a chance to take a peek, if you will, at the students who are
interested in their institution and curricular offerings. In doing so, they can scout out the higher
performing students, and again, entice them to possibly enter into a degree program, translating
into dollars and high performance outcomes for the school. Finally, and fifthly, a MOOC is a
great way for universities and other schools to try out an online teaching program, and to test the
waters for new and creative educational methods that they can develop.
There are some very beneficial aspects of the MOOC in that it promotes distance and
individual learning. This allows potential students to learn at any place, at any moment in time,
on any schedule, and on most every budget. Students of almost any age can engage in the
learning process; moms of toddlers at home can continue their education, retired people can
immerse themselves in subjects of their interest, high school students can get a jump on higher
education, and all of this can be done from anywhere in the world that an internet connection can
be found. The availability of video lectures and online quizzes and assessments allow students to
learn and be assessed and checked for knowledge acquisition. Also, the MOOCs can take on a
collaborative nature where students can network and join forces in learning and completing
projects, no matter where in the world they live.
MOOCs, however, may not always be fabulous. Universities must make sure that the
MOOC fits in and aligns with who they are as an institution, as division or mission-drift could
possibly result if unchecked. Additionally, the insurgence of the MOOC may possibly take away
from the necessity for on site teachers, lessening the work force of the university system.

MY MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

MOOCs are slowly gaining academic recognition, but many universities, especially smaller
institutions, remain reticent to throw their full weight behind this new online philosophy. The
long-term effects on the higher educational system are still unknown.
My MOOC: History of Rock
The MOOC that I took was History of Rock from Rochester University, taught by John
Covach, Director of the Institute for Popular Music. This MOOC did not have a definite start
date and could be executed at any time, and at any pace. I signed up for the MOOC and took it
for two weeks spanning June 24 to July 8, 2015. During that time I completed 5 units:
Introduction, The World Before Rock and Roll (1900-1955), The Birth and First Flourishing of
Rock and Roll (1955-59), The Demise of Rock and the Promise of Soul (1959-63), and The
Beatles and the British Invasion (1964-66). Each unit had a lecture video by the professor and
each video lasted anywhere from 7 to 20 minutes. After each video, an informal assessment was
given in the form of a multiple-choice quiz based on questions from the previous lecture.
Additionally the course contained a suggested text, Whats that Sound? authored by the teacher
himself, as well as 3 auxiliary videos on music fundamentals and 19 videos containing listening
guides. There were quite a few songs referenced throughout the course; some were to be found
on the listening guides, and some we were expected to look up on YouTube or a musicstreaming site. I found the lecture videos pretty informative and interesting, but some times I did
find my mind wandering. But Mr. Covach seemed very knowledgeable and excited about his
subject, and was able to be fairly animated and fluid on videos, which I found helpful. He was
obviously very comfortable in front of a class.
This was my first exposure to a MOOC and I must say it was a very positive experience.

MY MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

I have a real appreciation for the MOOC as I feel that it could possibly level the playing field
somewhat in the area of the haves and have-nots. It seems like the MOOC will make education
accessible to the more people, and hopefully will ignite the quest for learning in a greater
population. Again, Im not sure what the long-term affect on the universities will be, but I do
know that the MOOC is here to stay. Maybe it will change format somewhat, but an increase in
learning has got to be a good thing in the long run for an ever-changing world.

MY MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

References
Covach, J. (2015). History of Rock. Retrieved from https://www.coursera.org/learn/history-ofrock
Covach, J. R. (2006). What's that sound?: An introduction to rock and its history. New York:
W.W. Norton & Co.
edX | Free online courses from the world's best universities. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.edx.org/
MOOC | Define MOOC at Dictionary.com. (n.d.). In Dictionary.com. Retrieved from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/MOOC?s=t
MOOCs Revolution or Just a Passing Fad? (2013, September 25). Retrieved from
http://www.newswise.com/articles/moocs-revolution-or-just-a-passing-fad
Online Courses and Nanodegree Programs to Advance Your Career - Udacity. (2015).
Retrieved from https://www.udacity.com/
Peterson, D. (2015). What Is MOOC? Retrieved from
http://adulted.about.com/od/glossary/g/What-Is-Mooc.htm
Shah, D. (2014, December 26). MOOCs in 2014: Breaking Down the Numbers | EdSurge
News. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-12-26-moocs-in-2014breaking-down-the-numbers
Walker, R. (2013, May 22). MOOC University - Yahoo News. Retrieved from
http://news.yahoo.com/moocs-georgia-tech-education-student-loans195108964.html;_ylt=AwrTcdK7W5tVlHcAcugnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByc3RzMXFjB
GNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwM0BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--