Online Learning Update

October 18, 2013

Learned Luddites: Many professors are hostile to online education

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

by the Economist

A recent study of faculty attitudes to technology by the online publication Inside Higher Ed found much skepticism about MOOCs, but also that staff who have actually taught on them are far more positive about their quality. Nishikant Sonwalkar, the editor of MOOCs Forum, says professors do not want to teach on courses they did not create. At the same time they are concerned about “academic marginalisation”. Popular MOOCs are creating star professors, such as Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller at Stanford University. Mr Sonwalkar observes that many of the academics he has approached to appear in MOOCs decline because they feel uncomfortable on camera. Academics are over-reacting, argues Jack Wilson, the president emeritus of the University of Massachusetts. Professors will eventually get used to them. But first, says Mr Wilson, they must “get over the fear factor”.

http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21587820-many-professors-are-hostile-online-education-learned-luddites

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