"A multi-user environment is central to the idea of cyberspace."
"The implementation platform is relatively unimportant."
"It was clear that we were not in control."
"is an Avatar an extension of a human being"
"You can't trust anyone."
I don't think is so much about the MOOC bubble bursting. MOOCs are still valuable and are a lot of fun. But there are two expectations that may be unreasonable: (1) that this is a good way to deliver courses for credit, and (2) that the venture capitalists will get their money back. I remember the first dotcom boom where all these sorts of things were started up and there were lots of subscribers but no money. Doesn't take a genius to figure out what went wrong.
As to offering the courses for full university credit, that's pretty tough too. You can design exams, I suppose, that will have some validity given that so many exams are multiple choice even in "proper" university courses. But those courses usually have a written assignment phase. Or, in reverse, in my accounting courses, I have totally electronic assignments but I have a written exam where I demonstrate (or not) that I can produce a financial statement in good form.
Eve
A completely parallel implication is clear - where the question asked during the examination (etc.) is completely outside of the context of the course material it can't be of much use in evaluating the student in that material. There are questions or approaches that are not as easily recognized as being outside of the context.
An example from a "teaching programming" course that I observed.
The students were asked to write a program.
On the surface this seems completely within context (actually - without the following constraints it is). During this exam they were allowed one book, no access to the Internet, and they were not allowed to ask for help from the professor or each other, whereas all the practice to that time, and perhaps more to the point their future tasks as employees, would allow all those additional resources (books, tutorials, interaction with mentors, peers, and the Internet as a whole). The professor's understandable concern was that the students would not do their own work, but it completely changed the environment the students were used to operating within. At least the context is much closer than the linked example.
BTW the solution to something like this is not easy but it starts with having a relationship with the student(s) where the professor trusts them, and the student respects that trust. Other techniques include: the choice of task/question can be personalized, and some effort at cheating detection (not necessarily formal) as opposed to cheating prevention can be brought into play. (I'm sure that isn't the whole solution, but it's a start.)
Yes - I have seen such things many many times. I inherited a course when I came to AU that did exactly that. I understand the fears that make people want to use exams but the exam is very seldom the answer to those fears. It's not so bad when the exam is in a more authentic setting and builds on coursework. At my previous institution we used to have all-day exams in a computer lab with full Internet access and the ability to talk to others, which built on coursework so everyone was doing something different. That's quite an expensive solution, however, and is still susceptible to impersonation and collusion fraud despite the presence of invigilators. It makes sense as a learning experience, though, because coding to deadlines and under high stress is a real-life problem most programmers face.
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