Did you know that between 5 million to 7 million people worldwide have signed up to take a MOOC? That’s cool. What is even more  impressive is that between 5 million to 7 million students are currently enrolled in distance learning / online education programs IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE, IN THE PAST YEAR!

If you are old enough, or a hard-core sci-fi fan, you probably remember the old Star Trek episode, “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Tribbles are those tiny, soft furry animals that Klingons love to hate.  These adorable, make-believe creatures multiplied like rabbits, to the point that they completely overran the Starship Enterprise.

The “Tribble effect” is currently taking place in the education world when it comes to MOOCs. The hype surrounding MOOCs is taking over like Tribbles.

As MOOCS continue to dominate the headlines, they leave many with the impression that they are the only game in town when it comes to technology-fueled innovation in education. Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth.

What’s all the buzz about? What is a MOOC anyway?

A MOOC, short for “massive, open online course,” generally meets the following criteria:

·   A MOOC is an online course that offers unlimited access and no limits on the number of attendees.

·   A MOOC is generally offered for free, or at some sort of reduced cost, often called a “freemium” model.

·   A MOOC does not typically offer course credit towards college degree requirements.

There’s nothing really new here.  When put under the microscope, a MOOC is merely just another form of online or distance education.

The same technology used to produce a MOOC is currently being used to deliver engaging, online education programs around the world. It’s called active learning technology and it offers institutions large and small:

·   The ability to create a course and to view course content anytime, from anywhere, and on any digital device.

·   The ability to create a true learning community. Students should be able to engage in real-time online interaction – student-to-student and instructor-to-student, to create discussions and get questions answered.

·   The ability to measure and track success. Instructors should be able to monitor student comprehension and progress no matter if they are thousands of miles away.

Active learning technology lets you do all of the above and more. It also lets you do things like flipping a class to obtain measureable results. It helps level the playing field by making education accessible to people with learning disabilities. It also helps make STEM education more engaging for students and joyful for instructors.

We love Tribbles – they’re cute and fuzzy. The hype around MOOCs: not so much. The MOOC fanfare is obscuring the real innovation occurring through the creative use of active learning technology every day. This innovation yields real, measurable outcomes, for serious students who may someday become your child’s teacher, your pharmacist, or your doctor or nurse.

It’s time to redirect the MOOC conversation to the transformative impact of active learning, starting now.