MOOCs for Language Learning-Opportunities and Challenges: The Case of the Open University Italian Beginners' MOOCs

Research-publishing.net. La Grange des Noyes, 25110 Voillans, France. e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://research-publishing.net

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14

Online Courses; Large Group Instruction; Educational Technology; Technology Uses in Education; Italian; Second Language Instruction; Foreign Countries; Open Universities; Educational Practices; Academic Persistence; Informal Education

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a fairly recent development in online education. Language MOOCs (LMOOCs) have recently been added to the ever-growing list of open courses offered by various providers, including FutureLearn. For learners, MOOCs offer an innovative and inexpensive alternative to formal and traditional learning. For course designers and developers, this emerging learning model raises important issues concerning the affordances of the new learning environment and the rationale for adopting a particular pedagogical approach to sustain the learning experience. The authors offer an insight into their own experiences in designing and delivering an Italian for Beginners MOOC on FutureLearn. This case study explores the opportunities and challenges we met and the link with existing research. [For the complete volume, "Beyond the Language Classroom: Researching MOOCs and Other Innovations," see ED574781.]

As Provided

15

2017

ED574805