We live in what is being coined as “the Age of Information.” Information that used to be obscure to most is now, to use a cliched phrase, at your fingertips. This ease of accessibility has lead to the birth of many new industries and has revolutionized others. Everything from the way we travel to healthcare has felt the reverberation of technology. One field, however, arguably the area that is the most to our future, has been unchanging in the face of technology - education. Ever since the invention of the printing press, the way we learn has remained mostly stagnant - going into a school room with 30 or so students, and getting taught by a teacher and working through textbooks. Now, even this constancy is changing - enter MOOCs.
Let’s step back a little - what are MOOCs? MOOC is an acronym that stands for Massively (MOOCs can contain thousands of students at a time) Open (Usually to no tuition or admission requirements) Online (Both learning and grading is conducted through an online platform) Courses. While MOOCs are typically stand alone courses that a student takes through an online platform, such as Coursera, they can also be used in hybrid teach situations, such as the case of the flipped Electronics and Circuits course at San Jose State University. Generally, you can look to platforms such as Coursera, EdX, Udacity, and so on to fulfill your MOOC needs.
Setting the global impacts of MOOCs aside, how can it impact you? Why should you care? When I first heard of these MOOCs, I thought the same thing. But then, I learned of all of the opportunity that was simply clicks away. I could learn subjects ranging from astrobiology to artificial intelligence from the comfort of my home, and at my own pace. Today, after having participated in over 5 MOOCs, I can easily recommend them to anyone out there, student or not. I would especially recommend this type of learning to highschool students who are still searching for their passion. Rather than waiting for college to take a course you might be interested in, take it on a MOOC!
