Teaching with Moodle

 Hi Andy,

No, my error-I have not been clear, and as it happens you have prompted me to think more deeply about my last post, thank you.

Re: I don't quite follow how your scenario deals with the issue of acceptance of certification.

There are many issues, currently identified with regard to CPD MOOCs and the value of completion/the validity of a completion cert.  I suggested filling a gap by connecting participant engagement with certs that actually share what has been achieved, with perhaps a focus on iterative learning experiences (will return to that suggested process in a moment). 

Reason to support an iterative approach  is due to providing an opportunity for the participant to make links/connections across course material/activity/resources and so on=I call this active engagement.  So, learning about the quiz is one thing-great....I can say it affords this, it does that, I learned about it in the MOOC. But when linked with say, finding out about gradebook features, for my use of the quiz for learning, then this is an iterative process I am engaged with, one that I can easily see how it can apply in my practice, because I have learned about one feature in order to aid my teaching, and I can use another feature to track learning. (Do you see the connections I am making here?).

Re: Two, or maybe three, of your participants are not really suitable for this course.  They have considerable experience.  Yes, the course is open and is free for anyone to enrol.

I understand the point.  But there is a paradox in that statement: Some participants not  'suitable' for a MOOC....the Learn. Moodle MOOC, I think you are referring to...and the stance: An open course, free for anyone to enrol, Do you see the paradox  Andy? As such, I am not sure what message this reflects to potential participants.

I mean, how does one measure the following:

1. beginner

2. expert

It is also notable, in general, when people sign up for a MOOC they really have no idea about who else is going to participate, neither do the teachers...because? You guessed right: it is An open course, free for anyone to enrol.  I am drawing on logic here.

Now, I have come across MOOCs that specify starting points as requirements, e.g. a basic knowledge of Python is required or, an understanding of HTML is necessary, but I have never- in all my living days- come across the following unsubstantiated premise: If you know more than you should know-you shouldn't enrol on this MOOC, even though you can for free.   

When you say:

 One of the most intimidating things for a beginner is having an expert in the class. This topic cropped up several times in the Moodle MOOC you are referring to.  

Then this is down to ground control during the MOOC, in that moderators/teachers need to refer such experts-who are disruptive...to moodle.org (sorry, I am not laughing-just grinning-I realise there may appear to be a wrong-sounding message in that-but I hope you know what I mean, sorry!-not all the disruptive ones are here-only some!  ).  

We are getting into the realm of how long is a piece of string?-if we are even thinking of ways to measure what is not appropriate for a beginner course...this is context bound....and while some might complain about expert-speak....after events....nothing can be done about it really-because nobody knows the exact details....unless they do and it is too late to do anything...so blanket statements like.....experts can put beginners off...sounds vague and possibly an exclusion tool.  

Re: If only one aspect of a course (note the word, course) is of interest, then maybe a more focused training would be appropriate.

But, those engaging with the MOOC don't realise what is on offer until enrolment!

Re: As for your point at the end regarding signing off a certificate provided by the student.  I wonder where you are going to get the time to do that with potentially thousands of participants?  Personally, I cannot imagine signing such a document.  The potential for damage to my reputation as a trainer is far too high.

I wish to spell out my thinking more clearly here.  A tracked approach is what I have in mind. You are quite right, aiming for a manual approach is  impossible with over 9000 participants.  But, some sort of auto-cert, that summarises briefly what has been achieved (point form would do), and we know tracking can be done in Moodle, so if a cert is automatically sent out to the participant's email address, based on activity completion- that includes a box for participant's reflections based on what is on the cert, then this is a possible way for stakeholders (participant, teacher of the MOOC, employer) to share information. This adds value to engagement/achievement and the cert is valuable for three stakeholders.

Re: All of which brings me back to my original point - that a certificate which isn't generally recognised isn't worth much, even to the recipient.  The challenge for the industry is to legitimise their results.

The challenge might be overcome if employers considered the value of what is on the cert -as outlined above-in consideration of the employees CPD and engagement with a MOOC, in requiring the employee to demonstrate outcomes in the work place-according to what is on the cert.