Massive Open Online Courses may arrive at UNC by the fall

Beginning in the fall, the University could expand its academic resources to reach people all across the world through a computer screen.

UNC hopes to offer MOOCs — Massive Open Online Courses — this fall. The courses are offered online at little or no cost worldwide to anyone with an internet connection, regardless of whether they are UNC students.

The UNC MOOC task force reviewed 10 class proposals in a meeting Wednesday, and administrators hope to offer three or four of those in the fall.

The task force discussed potential platforms and processes that administrators might use to develop and offer the MOOCs, said Carol Tresolini, vice provost for academic initiatives, who leads the task force.

Tresolini said the task force also discussed what resources — including teaching assistants — would be needed to develop the courses, as well as the courses’ lifespans, ownership of intellectual property and quality standards.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the departments of public health, music, economics, law, computer science, philosophy and information science have all submitted proposals for MOOCs.

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Bruce Carney said MOOCs are a way for the University to reach more people both in North Carolina and beyond.

“It’s a way for people to learn about subjects that are of vital interest or casual interest,” he said.

Though UNC won’t be offering college credit for these courses, senior art history and political science double major Daixi Xu said she still thinks offering MOOCs will be beneficial for students.

“I’ve had the privilege to be able to take classes outside of my majors because I had a lot of high school credit, so I’ve been able to explore lots of different topics,” she said. “I think it’s important. It’s part of the liberal arts education.”

Tresolini said offering MOOCs will benefit the University in more ways than one, such as helping faculty improve on-campus courses by using some of the online exercises and assessments that could be used for MOOCs in lecture classes.

Andrew Powell, an undergraduate member of the MOOC task force, said the technology could also be used to teach students material outside of class via recorded lectures so that class time can be devoted to engaging in discussion.

Additionally, the MOOCs will help UNC extend its academic offerings to the public, fulfilling the University’s mission of public service, which Xu thinks is an important commitment.

“I think the University definitely has a commitment to continuing education,” she said.

“I think we should be serving the entire community and not just people enrolled at the University.”

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