For this weeks application assignment, I opted to review and evaluate an Open Course called Writing about Race: Narratives of Multiraciality, on MIT’s OpenCourseware site, which can be found at http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/writing-and-humanistic-studies/21w-742j-writing-about-race-narratives-of-multiraciality-fall-2008/. The course was taught in Fall 2008 by Instructor Kym L. Ragusa and according to the course objective the learner will read essays, novels, memoirs, and graphic text, and view documentary and experimental films and videos which explore race from the standpoint of the multiracial. Simonson (2012) states that instructional goals and objectives always should be shared with the students, helping both the origination and remote-site students to focus on the parameters of the instruction. I think the instructor makes the objective and goals of the assignment very clear on the course site, which is one area that they seem to have course planning and organization correct. Within the course description the instructor poses several questions, for example, “What can their work tell us about the complex interconnections between race, gender, class, sexuality, and citizenship”, which for me as the observer provides closer insight to what I should expect to get from the course along the way. I noticed under the class assignments page the instructor states that this is a writing-centered course and then details the frequency of the writing assignments and the expected length of the paper and within very specific parameters and time frame over the course the class. This indicates to me that the planning of the instruction for this course included specific plans to facilitate active learning practices that would engage the learner, thus requiring them to take an active role in the learning process. Although it was not indicated on the site, which is suggested as a best practice in an online distance program, my assumption is that the instructor provides feedback to the students about their viewpoints on the subject matter, and as Conrad & Donaldson (2004) suggest besides answering student questions and providing authentic learning experiences that lead to products for assessment, learners need to feel comfortable with the expectations (as cited in Simonson, et. al, 2012).
It appears that the layout for each MIT Open Course course is basically the same. The course home page includes an overview with the course description, a syllabus page, a readings page with sections for required text, recommended readings and the films list for suggested viewing. The readings page provide direct links to Amazon to purchase the materials that you will need for the course. There is also a class assignments tab and study materials, plus a separate tab to view and download course materials. The downloadable course materials can be easily accessed for review and I thought it was quite helpful that they provided writings from some of the students in the course. The overall functionality of the course page is very user friendly and easy to navigate around.
In comparing and contrasting MIT’s OpenCourse site to the Stanford site that is delivered via iTunes, I can certainly say that Stanford’s site has the most modern and sophisticated look and feel that encompasses the technology that savvy learners and users are accustom to seeing and utilizing. I recall seeing on Stanford’s site feedback from viewers and students that had taken the course, sharing their own personal experience with others. This tool is quite helpful in helping one decide how much time they want to invest in any one course. Overall, this course appears to be pre-planned for distance learning, and it follows most of the recommendations suggested in the text. My thinking is that its a course that has been offered for several years in both traditional and online environments, thus my assumption is that they (MIT) probably has the plan on how to execute this course down to a science. My only suggestion to them would be to consider some videos during the professors lecture as an improved technology tool that captures the audiences attention even more. In thinking about the 12 “golden rules” proposed by Bates (in Foley, 2003) technology is not the issue. How and what we want the learns to learn is the issue and technology is the tool. (p. 172).
References:
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, A. (2004) Engaging the onine learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction, San Francisco: Josey-Bass.
Ragusa, Kym L.. 21W.742J Writing About Race: Narratives of Multiraciality, Fall 2008. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed 02 Apr, 2012). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
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