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So, you've just registered for your first MOOC
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and you're wondering what to do next.
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There are many ways you can succeed in a MOOC.
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You must just want to follow along and get a sense of the topic.
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You might be doing it for course credit.
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You might be doing it to develop a new learning network
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or to help finish that project you're working on.
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This video is how I look at success in a Massive Open Online Course.
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Let's say you've just registered for a MOOC about thingamajigits.
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You've registered at the course site
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and you've decided that you're going to commit your time,
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but you're trying to figure out where to start.
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This is five steps to succeed in a MOOC.
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You need to orient,
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declare,
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network,
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cluster
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and focus.
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First, you need to orient yourself.
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Where are the materials,
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the links you'll need to use every week,
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the times of the live sessions?
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Gather these together,
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bookmark them!
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You'll find that in some ways, a MOOC is a lot like just being on the Web,
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with one big exception:
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a MOOC is paced.
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There are readings and topics and they are separated into weeks.
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While no one is going to be checking on you
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to make sure you read everything,
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the materials are there,
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and while you don't need to cover everything,
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the more you cover, the more you can participate.
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The next thing you need to do is declare yourself.
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You need to have a place for your thoughts and your reflections to live.
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It might be a blog that you're writing,
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it might be a discussion forum that's part of the course.
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Your MOOC will have some way of gathering all the reflections on your course together.
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It might be a tag, or some other method.
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Let's say your course tag is 'Thingamajigits2011'.
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Maybe you already have a blog,
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or you can set one up online.
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You can write a reaction to one of the readings,
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add a course tag to it and post it to Twitter.
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And then, probably,
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nothing happens.
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No one grades it,
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no one comments.
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You've declared yourself,
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but no one seems to have noticed.
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You need a network.
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You need to follow some other people reflecting on the material
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and make some connections.
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Go back and take a look at the communications
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you've been getting from the facilitators.
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Do a search for the course tag.
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Find some people's work,
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read a few posts and comment on them.
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Those connections and your comments are what the course is all about.
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Better yet: go back to your spot
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and write a thoughtful reply to someone's questions or concerns.
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Tell them about it,
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make connections.
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There is a discussion going on
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and the discussion is probably what you took this course for.
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After a few weeks, it's probably time to cluster.
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During the first couple of weeks of reading and commenting,
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you'll notice that there are a couple of other people
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whose interests in thingamajigits is very close to yours.
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You'll find that you're returning to their work more often,
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that they're commenting on your work more often,
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that you're connecting.
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You don't need to connect with everyone.
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Find yourself a cluster of people who are focused on what you're interested in,
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a group of people for you to work with,
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maybe, even a community that might share ideas
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after the course is over.
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Finally, and this is especially important to me,
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you need to focus.
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Even with all the positive connections
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and the interesting readings,
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in the learning about
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and the interesting readings
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in the learning about thingamajigits,
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I always find that a little over half-way through an open course,
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my mind starts to wander.
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Maybe you're not sure what you're trying to do with the course.
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If you're not trying to finish the course for credit,
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why are you trying to do it?
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Maybe you have an idea about something
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you could do with thingamajigits at work,
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and decide to post your idea in your blog.
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You can draw on your new cluster help you with your plans,
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start a project, maybe a paper, maybe a grant,
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and use the rest of the course to finish it.
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After ten weeks, you'll know lots more about thingamajigits,
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you'll have made some valuable and useful professional connections,
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and have a project
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that you can apply right back to your work.
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You'll have succeeded.
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Orient, declare, network, cluster and focus.
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MOOCs are open.
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That includes being to different ways of success.
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This is my way.
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(written and narrated by Dave Cormier
video by Neal Gillis)
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(researchers Dave Cormier Alexander McAuley George Siemens Bonnie Stewart)
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(Created through funding received by the University of Prince Edward Island through the Social Sciences and Humanities research Council's "Knowledge Synthesis Grants on the Digital Economy")
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(2010 Creative Commons Attribution license)