Essay on what it will take to make MOOCs work

The Dean of our College of Engineering, and an advisor on “Georgia Computes!”, wrote this excellent essay on what it will take for MOOC’s to have impact on higher education.

Until higher education invents solutions that address these areas of concern, the future and value of MOOCs is uncertain. To employers, after all, the credential is paramount; if the credential comes with questions about quality of experience or depth of knowledge, its worth is compromised. This is not to say that Georgia Tech and others are sitting and waiting. We are actively experimenting with – and advocating for – MOOCs to harness their potential. In fact, this fall, engineering and computing faculty will be teaching several classes through Cousera on computational photography, control of mobile robots, computational investing and strategic energy. A colleague recently reminded me of why we work toward this end when he posted to his Facebook page a quote by W.E.B. DuBois: “The purpose of education is not to make men and women into doctors, lawyers and engineers; the purpose of education is to make doctors, lawyers and engineers into men and women.”

via Essay on what MOOCs are missing to truly transform higher education | Inside Higher Ed.