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A massive open online course is an ecosystem

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from which knowledge can emerge

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In a traditional course

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you end up in a social contract

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with an institution

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or with an instructor.

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They have the knowledge

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and you want that knowledge

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so you go to a classroom

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you go to an online location

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and you engage in this social contract

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where you go

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you've purchased the time,

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and you'll take home the knowledge.

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They will judge whether or not

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you have the appropriate knowledge

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at the end of that course.

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In a lot of situations

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that's really good.

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A MOOC is something entirely different

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The knowledge contract in a MOOC

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does not presume

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that there is one thing you need to know

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in a given field

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the materials that we study that are part of the syllabus

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are really just a starting point

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for the negotiation of knowledge.

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The outcomes might be as varied as a discussion,

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a blog post or a peer reviewed article.

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Really a MOOC is just a catalyst for knowledge

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Knowledge in a MOOC is emergent

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During those discussions

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between the participants

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and between the facilitators

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themes are going to begin to emerge

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those themes are going to combine

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with the course materials

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to create a really unpredictable knowledge base

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from which people are going to learn

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and with which they are going to engage.

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For the participants in a Mooc

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they are gonna come out of the course

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with a far better idea of how their own knowledge

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matches up against others in the field.

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The more importantly

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they're going to come out with a knowledge network

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a network of people and ideas

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that's going to carry

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long past the end of that course date.

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For the field itself

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it offers a focused discussion

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That discussion may clarify point of debate

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or it may push knowledge in that field

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to new and interesting places.