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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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<i>You</i> 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 <i>they're</i> commenting on your work more often,

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that you're <i>connecting</i>.

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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 <i>you're</i> 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 <i>focus</i>.

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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 <i>do</i> 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)