Online/Blended/Hybrid/MOOCs/Seamless Learning

MOOCs offer potential students an opportunity to try it before they buy it. Referring to a prospective degree at a prospective university. Because university level education is expensive, it can be difficult for students to commit to a decision to study in a program they are not sure they are interested in. Some students use MOOCs to experiment with college-level academic coursework outside of a high school (Moody, 2019). For those students that prefer online learning, many universities are starting to offer full programs in MOOC form, including a complete master’s degree from top universities: Georgia Tech, University of Texas, University of California, University of Queensland, Indiana University, and more (edX, 2019). Aside from students, professionals constantly need to educate themselves. MOOCs offer a great opportunity for accelerated learning for those seeking life-long learning through informal and self-directed learning (Lin & Cranton, Informal and Self-Directed Learning in the Age of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), 2015). However, MOOCs lack the personal interaction that university life teaches young adults. Interacting with each other strictly over asynchronous methods inevitably leads to miscommunication and heartache (Ritter, 2015; Lin, Cranton, & Bridglall, 2005).

Virtual reality (VR) offers the ability to create very immersive learning at a fraction of the cost. While the cost of developing a VR is far from free, the resources used/consumed are infinitely renewable. “In the digital realm, gold, diamond, coal, wood, and rubidium all cost the exact same thing — zero. (Rizzotto, 2017)” VR allows students to experiment with hazardous, costly chemicals without risking their health or paying exorbitant course fees. The gaming industry has brought rendering of 3D worlds into a lifelike state; this allows for a realistic experience that just needs to be developed properly to be very interactive and engaging (Bergmann, et al., 2017). More importantly, learning in immersive environments work, according to Parong and Mayer (2018) who state that “cognitive theory of multimedia learning and demonstrate the value of generative learning strategies in immersive VR environments.” However, simulations need to be accurate to keep the brain from being disoriented. According to Bergmann, et al., (2017) “If the visual impression of walking does not agree with the proprioceptive impression, the brain will respond with sickness.”

References

• Bergmann, T., Balzer, M., Hopp, T., Kamp, T. v., Kopmann, A., Jerome, N. T., & Zapf, M. (2017). Inspiration from VR Gaming Technology: Deep Immersion and Realistic Interaction for Scientific Visualization. Proceedings of the 12th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications - Volume 3: IVAPP, (VISIGRAPP 2017). 3, pp. 330-334. SciTePress. doi:10.5220/0006262903300334
• edX. (2019). Master’s Degrees on edX. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from edX: https://www.edx.org/masters
• Lin, L., & Cranton, P. (2015). Informal and Self-Directed Learning in the Age of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). In O. Mejiuni, P. Cranton, & O. Táíwò, Measuring and Analyzing Informal Learning in the Digital Age (pp. 91-104). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-8265-8.ch007
• Lin, L., Cranton, P., & Bridglall, B. (2005). Psychology Type and Asynchronous Written Dialogue in Adult Learning. Teachers College Record, 107(8), 1788-1813. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9620.2005.00542.x
• Moody, J. (2019, Jan 18). What College Applicants Should Know About MOOCs. Retrieved from U. S. News: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2019-01-18/what-college-applicants-should-know-about-moocs
• Parong, J., & Mayer, R. E. (2018). Learning Science in Immersive Virtual Reality. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(6), 785-797. doi:10.1037/edu0000241
• Ritter, M. (2015, February 15). Why Is There So Much Miscommunication Via Email and Text? Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemporary-psychoanalysis-in-action/201502/why-is-there-so-much-miscommunication-email-and
• Rizzotto, L. (2017, June 23). The Future of Education: How A.I. and Immersive Tech Will Reshape Learning Forever. Retrieved from Medium: https://medium.com/futurepi/a-vision-for-education-and-its-immersive-a-i-driven-future-b5a9d34ce26d