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Informal and Self-Directed Learning in the Age of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Informal and Self-Directed Learning in the Age of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Lin Lin, Patricia Cranton
Copyright: © 2015 |Pages: 14
ISBN13: 9781466682658|ISBN10: 1466682655|EISBN13: 9781466682665
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8265-8.ch007
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MLA

Lin, Lin, and Patricia Cranton. "Informal and Self-Directed Learning in the Age of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)." Measuring and Analyzing Informal Learning in the Digital Age, edited by Olutoyin Mejiuni, et al., IGI Global, 2015, pp. 91-104. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8265-8.ch007

APA

Lin, L. & Cranton, P. (2015). Informal and Self-Directed Learning in the Age of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). In O. Mejiuni, P. Cranton, & O. Táíwò (Eds.), Measuring and Analyzing Informal Learning in the Digital Age (pp. 91-104). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8265-8.ch007

Chicago

Lin, Lin, and Patricia Cranton. "Informal and Self-Directed Learning in the Age of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)." In Measuring and Analyzing Informal Learning in the Digital Age, edited by Olutoyin Mejiuni, Patricia Cranton, and Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, 91-104. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2015. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8265-8.ch007

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Abstract

One of the consequences of the new digital age is the development of opportunities for individuals to learn in a variety of new ways. Among these opportunities are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) where short, free, non-credit courses are available to anyone who wants to learn. In this chapter, the authors examine the phenomenon of MOOCs in light of informal learning and self-directed leaning conceptual frameworks. They illustrate this phenomenon with the case of Jasta, who took a MOOC course in statistics along with 950 other learners. The authors then go on to discuss the issues, controversies, and problems of MOOCs for informal and self-directed learning. They propose a series of questions that need to be addressed as we come to understand the role of MOOCs in educational systems.

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