Modularization describes the transformation of MOOCs from a comprehensive academic-style course format into small-scale, self-contained, flexible and competence-oriented learning offerings. Modularized learning offerings appear to be much more suitable for training and professional learning and can thus be seen as a prerequisite for a sustainable integration of online learning these areas. This paper introduces the concept of modularization and reports on the development and application of a modularization framework for open online courses. By the example of eGov-Campus, a German MOOC provider for the public sector linked to both academia and formal professional development, we outline the structural specifications for modularized MOOC offerings and a methodology for course transformation. Following on from this, prospects and challenges for instructional design are discussed.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a valuable open educational resource for people around the world. Although they have been published for over a decade, there is not a clear understanding of how to design courses to best meet the expectations and learning goals of the learners who take them. This action research study sought to understand learners' motivations and experiences when taking massive open online courses (MOOCs), in order to better inform MOOC design. MOOC learners were recruited to be interviewed for a qualitative research project seeking to discover, reveal, and characterize their motivations for enrolling, their behavior in courses, and the value they perceived. Analysis of the interviews showed that learners enroll for a variety of reasons, such as curiosity and exploration, connection, or skill acquisition, and these motivations influenced their behavior in the course and their perception of value of the course. Following this research, focus groups of practitioners were recruited to participate in the interpretation of this work for a practical design context and use the results to create a “Learner Design Guide” to help educate the best means to incorporate learners into course design on learners.
Professional on-line courses are the way to increase skills, competences and knowledge inside our marketplace workers and might be one of the key actions to promote an increase and engagement on the people interest in a new field, like Microelectronics, allowing them to adapt some more sustainable vision, greener electronics technology, and a more diverse, equity and much more better integration people in this workforce. Recent European Union actions like the Chip Act, [1], as a coordinated answer to the shortage and dependence of the European Union on the foreign technology and microelectronics fabrication aggravated by the Ukrainian war put their outcomes from this project as a reference for future actions on technical VET inside the Europe Union. Early pilot results show that at this moment the students that are doing part of the pilot have less time that should be necessary to follow the curricula as well as probably they are not interested in all the activities and tasks of the pilot courses offered.
The challenges faced in a post pandemic scenario have forced the creation of improved tools to provide education to scholars and researchers. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are presented as a solution to bring formation to the academic community. Smart grids, as modern power systems, are responsible for covering the electricity needs of millions of inhabitants around a geographical location. In the smart grid field of application microgrids have emerged as vital components supporting the consumption of electrical energy of both isolated and non-isolated customers. In the same scenario the cybersecurity of electrical microgrids represents a relevant aspect that aims for the protection of the microgrid against cyber-attacks that could expose the system to work under catastrophic conditions. Thus, the idea of creating a MOOC associated with the study of cybersecurity aspects for electrical microgrids becomes a good solution to the study of cyber-attacks in this area. This paper proposes the design of laboratories for a MOOC in electrical microgrids, it describes laboratories focused on detection of cyberattacks. Simulations using machine learning (an area of artificial intelligence) techniques are included as part of the design of the laboratories. These simulations use real data sets associated with the operation of the electrical power system of the Dominican Republic as the input for machine learning using MATLAB and Google Colaboratory engineering tools. This research work is supported by the eFellows program, and the simulations presented in this paper are associated with the real data-based laboratories that will be included in the MOOC on electrical microgrids.
