With
all of the back-and-forth debate over how massive open online courses (MOOCs)
should be managed and monetized, one college president acknowledges there may
be some benefits from MOOCs apart from educating students.
In
a commentary for Inside Higher Education,
Excelsior College President John F. Ebersole notes “it remains unclear as to
how student learning by MOOC is to be measured” but that working professionals,
especially in technical jobs, may simply want to take MOOCs without credit just
to stay up-to-date in their fields.
Ebersole
also sees MOOCs as useful tools for branding and marketing higher education
institutions. Through free online courses, schools will be able to let
prospective students sample their offerings, in hopes of later enrollment in
for-fee courses, he says. Schools can also raise their national and
international profile by hosting MOOCs, he adds.
Similarly,
Ebersole thinks faculty members will be able to enhance their reputations—as
instructors, as authors, and as researchers—by reaching thousands of people in
open online courses.
