USING “MOOCs,” AND OTHER ANCILLARIES, TO ENHANCE GEOSCIENCE COURSES

Stephen MarshakSchool of Earth, Society, & Environment

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

21st Century Ancillaries . . .

• Interactive (narrative) art

• Book-associated learning systems

• Animations

• Google Earth

• On-line open-source explanations (MOOCs)

Evolution of geo-art . . .

C. Lyell (1845)

Starting point . . .• simple sketches.• very few figures.• no photos.

Longwell et al. (1948)

Innovations• sequential blocks• use of textures.• use of landscaped surfaces.

Press & Siever (1986)

Innovations• much more original art work• two-color drawings.

Monroe & Wicander (1995)

Innovations• increase in landscape sophistication.• increase in labeling

• It’s important to show ‘before and after’.

Marshak (2013)

Marshak (2013)

• It’s important to show students what an “experienced” viewer sees.

Essentials of Geology, 4th EditionCopyright © 2013, W.W. Norton & CompanyMarshak (2013)

• It’s important to show interrelations.

Marshak (2013)

• It’s important to give a sense of context, via “realism.”

21st Century Ancillaries . . .

• Interactive (narrative) art

• Book-associated learning systems

• Animations

• Google Earth

• On-line open-source explanations (MOOCs)

Book-related learning systems . . . • Cengage’s “CourseMate”• Norton’s “SmartWork”• Pearson’s “Mastering”• McGraw-Hill “LearnSmart”

MOOCs

- Perception: college course for free.

- Reality: halfway between a for-fee online course, and educational TV.

- Audience: mostly college-grad adults; some audience in developing countries.

- Unverisity’s view: a type of outreach.

What goes into making a MOOC ?

- Multistage process.- Made complex by the need for open-source material.- Immensely labor-intensive. - Can be up to 5 hours of author time per 5 minutes video.- Requires a team of skilled technicians.- A huge variety of formats.- Explanatory video plus active-learning materials.

EXAMPLE OF UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

MOOC SEGMENT

What good are they for “real” teaching ?

- Source of pre-lecture material for flipped classrooms.- Source of explanatory material for blended learning.- Supplemental lecture material. - Source of active-learning opportunities.- Because they’re open source, they’re free.