Hei Mookie! Where Do I Start? The Role of Artifacts in an Unmanned MOOC

Three artifacts were examined in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called Mechanical because there is no professor to offer the course. Employing the notion of inscription from actor-network theory, the analysis focuses on the action of facilitation embedded in these artifacts and the ways in which these actions unfold. Using online ethnography, this study attempts to explicate how the designers have delegated facilitation to these objects. The findings suggest that the artifacts play a distinct role in enacting forms of facilitation and sustaining the course without teaching presence. They indicate that the artifacts do not play simply an intermediary role, but work to redistribute facilitation and reformulate social relations. While online courses have relied primarily upon teachers, with the increased size and technological interdependence of this MOOC, the examined artifacts apparently remove the need for exposure to teachers, by providing participants with peer interactions and automated coordination and testing.