1st “BOOC” on Scaling-Up What Works about to start at Indiana University

I talked with Dan Hickey about this — it’s an interesting alternative to MOOCs, and the topic is relevant for this blog.

In the fall semester of 2013, IU School of Education Researcher and Associate Professor Dr. Daniel Hickey will be leading an online course. The 11-week course will begin on September 9 and is being called a ‘BOOC’ or “Big Open Online Course”. The main topic being taught is ”Educational Assessment: Practices, Principles, and Policies”. Here students will develop “WikiFolios”, endorse each other’s work, and earn bonafide Digital Badges based on the work they complete. Additionally, the course provides an opportunity for Dr. Hickey to observe how these activities translate from the same for-credit, online course that initially seated 25 students to the new ‘BOOC’ format hosting 500 participants: During his small scale experimental study, Dr. Hickey stated:

“I feel like I came up with some nice strategies for streamlining the course and making it a little less demanding which I think is necessary for an open, non-credit course. I learned ways to shorten the class, to get it from the normal 15 week semester to the 11 weeks. I condensed some of the assignments and gave students options; they do performance or portfolio assessment, they don’t do both. I thought that was pretty good for students.”

via 1st “BOOC” To Begin In September, Scaling-Up What Works | BOOC at Indiana University.