A set of patterns for the structured design of MOOCs

A design pattern approach, in the form of participatory pattern workshops, has been used to explore the design approaches that experts in the field of online learning have used to develop and deliver Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Over the course of 3 intensive workshops a total of 20 design patterns were developed from shared narratives of successful practice. These patterns describe solutions to problems that are contextualised to six design dimensions: structure; orientation; participation; learning; community and management. The validity of these patterns has been tested against novel design challenges. In this paper, we present the 20 design patterns as a scaffold for both novice and expert developers to build a MOOC and suggest that integrating design patterns into a simple iterative design cycle can provide a powerful course development approach.

[1]  Yishay Mor,et al.  The learning design studio: collaborative design inquiry as teachers’ professional development , 2013 .

[2]  Muhammad K. Betz.  Distance Education : A Systems View , 2005 .

[3]  Marcelo Fabián Maina,et al.  The Art & Science of learning design , 2015 .

[4]  J. Voogt,et al.  Teacher Learning in Collaborative Curriculum Design. , 2011 .

[5]  Andrew M. Dearden,et al.  Evaluating pattern languages in participatory design , 2002, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[6]  Rebecca Ferguson,et al.  Innovative Pedagogy at Massive Scale: Teaching and Learning in MOOCs , 2014, EC-TEL.

[7]  Richard P. Gabriel.  Writer's Workshops and the Work of Making Things , 2002 .

[8]  L. Morris,et al.  Collaborative Course Development for Online Courses , 2007 .

[9]  Allison Littlejohn,et al.  Instructional quality of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) , 2015, Comput. Educ..

[10]  J. Baggaley.  MOOC rampant , 2013 .

[11]  Norbert Pachler,et al.  Formative e-Assessment: case stories, design patterns and future scenarios , 2011 .

[12]  Yishay Mor,et al.  SNaP! Re-using, sharing and communicating designs and design knowledge using scenarios, narratives and patterns , 2013 .

[13]  Skills.  The Maturing of the MOOC : Literature Review of Massive Open Online Courses and other Forms of Online Distance Learning , 2013 .

[14]  Jon Baggaley.  MOOC postscript , 2014 .

[15]  D. Nicol,et al.  Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice , 2006 .

[16]  Rhona Sharpe,et al.  Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age , 2007 .

[17]  Niall Winters,et al.  Design approaches in technology-enhanced learning , 2007, Interact. Learn. Environ..

[18]  Yael Kali,et al.  Helping Education Students Understand Learning through Designing. , 2008 .

[19]  Patricia Santos,et al.  Investigations of E-Learning Patterns: Context Factors, Problems and Solutions , 2010 .

[20]  Faye Wiesenberg.  Technology, Open Learning and Distance Education , 2013 .

[21]  Peter Goodyear,et al.  Using pattern languages to mediate theory-praxis conversations in design for networked learning , 2006 .

[22]  Shirley Williams,et al.  MOOCs: A systematic study of the published literature 2008-2012 , 2013 .

[23]  Max Jacobson,et al.  A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction , 1981 .

[24]  N. Winters,et al.  Participatory pattern workshops: a methodology for open learning design inquiry , 2012 .

[25]  Andrew M. Dearden,et al.  Pattern Languages in HCI: A Critical Review , 2006, Hum. Comput. Interact..

[26]  Katy Jordan,et al.  Initial trends in enrolment and completion of massive open online courses , 2014 .