MOOCs in 2018

1. xuetangX

1.1. the first Chinese MOOC platform

1.1.1. autorised to operate edX courses in the Chinese mainland

1.1.2. Rain Classroom: WeChat mini program created by MOOC-CN Education to support blended learning

1.1.2.1. teachers can use it on both computer and mobile phone, students on mobile phone

1.1.2.2. features include sending pre-class readings, creating and administering questions (also integrated into PPT slides) during the class, posting (students can send a post to teachers anytime during the class, then teachers can choose which one to project)

2. Global data

2.1. Growth of MOOC platforms in 2018

2.1.1. Top five MOOC providers by registered users (source: ClassCentral) Coursera – 37 million edX – 18 million XuetangX – 14 million Udacity – 10 million FutureLearn – 8.7 million

2.2. Growth of MOOCs

2.2.1. Over 900 universities around the world had announced or launched 11.4k MOOCs, with around 2000 new courses added to the list in 2018 (down from 2500 courses in 2017). User growth hasn’t kept up, hence each course is getting fewer users (Source: ClassCentral)

2.3. The hot topic: online degrees

2.3.1. In 2018 Coursera, edX, FutureLearn, and XuetangX all announced new degrees, taking the total number of online degrees to 47, up from around 15 in 2017. Announced degrees may be not yet live. Many universities such as Arizona University, University of Pennsylvania, UC San Diego, and Imperial College London joined this movement, while others such as Georgia Tech and the University of Illinois announced additions to their existing online degree offerings

2.3.1.1. FutureLearn has the biggest number of MOOC-based degrees. Online degrees seem to be 26 in the comprehensive list but 32 if considering the sum of all degrees in all categories. Unlike other providers, FL degrees don’t tend to be much cheaper than their online or in-person counterparts. Many of the new credit-bearing options on the FL platform are shorter post grad certificates

2.4. Monetization

2.4.1. Coursera’s estimated revenue for 2018 is $140 million (source: Forbes), up from Class Central’s estimate of $100 million in 2017. Udacity's global revenue grew by 25% in 2018 which takes their revenue just shy of the $90 million mark, up from $70 million last year (source: Udacity) FutureLearn which is looking to raise £40m, had revenues of £8.2M in the last fiscal year to the end of July 2018 (source: ClassCentral). No numbers available for edX.

2.4.1.1. More about Coursera

2.5. presentation (partly in Italian)

3. Focus: developments in 2018

3.1. Novelties from Coursera

3.1.1. offering and pricing

3.1.1.1. The biggest change were online degrees. In 2017 Coursera had just four online degrees from two universities. In 2018, it has 12 online degrees from 8 universities, including a bachelor’s degree and an Ivy League University master’s. Corporate training (B2B), which finally took off in 2017, gained further traction in 2018

3.1.1.1.1. Coursera’s MasterTrack Programs much more expensive than edX’s MicroMasters (the three MasterTrack programs are priced $2,000, $2,316, and $3,474; whereas MicroMasters programs range from $540 to $1,500

3.1.1.2. Coursera introduced a new microcredential, called MasterTrack, quite similar to edX’s MicroMasters program. (both these microcredentials allow learners to earn credit towards a master’s degree, contingent upon applying and being accepted into the degree-offering institution

3.1.1.3. consumer product essentially remained the same (no further pricing experiments or modifications to the paywall)

3.1.1.4. Coursera employs around 330 people

3.1.1.4.1. 3 different business units: Consumer (stronger than ever ; of the estimated $140 million revenue in 2018, it’s quite possible that around $100 million came from it according to ClassCentral) Corporate Training (1500 enterprise customers (including over 60 Fortune 500 companies), up from 500 at end of last year costs $400 per year per employee and includes full access to a catalog of around 2500 courses) Online Degrees

3.1.2. learners

3.1.2.1. In 2018, the total number of learners is 37 million, 7 million of which were added in 2018 (the same number of new learners that joined the platform in 2017). It seems a greater portion of these learners are paying

3.1.3. supporting document (partly in Italian)

3.2. Novelties from edX

3.2.1. pricing and business model

3.2.1.1. Edx’s new paywall removes access to graded assignments for free users. The new paywall also has a time limit; after the course ends free users won’t be able to access the course content. According to edX, most existing courses (with a few exceptions) will be moved over to this new model, and all new courses will be offered under the new model.

3.2.1.2. N.B. edX’s employee base remained stable at around 150- 200 employees.

3.2.2. offering

3.2.2.1. edX announced 8 new degree programs in 2018. In 2017, edX had just one online degree. More degrees are expected from edX in 2019. By the end of 2018 edX listed 233 microcredentials (up from 174 in 2017) and approximately 2,200 courses, 400 of which were added in 2017.

3.2.2.1.1. In 2017 edX had just one online Master’s degree – the Online Masters of Science in Analytics (OMS Analytics) with Georgia Tech. In 2018 edX announced 8 more master’s degrees, ranging from $10k to $25k. In 2018, 6 more universities announced that the will launch online degrees on edX. In all, the Degrees page on edX lists 16 online degrees. Details about 9 of them are known.

3.2.3. users

3.2.3.1. With 18 million learners, edX is the second largest MOOC provider in the world after Coursera (4 million new learners in 2018, the same as 2017 and 2016). The median age of an edX learner is 28, and 62% of all learners are male. Seventy-nine percent of edX learners are outside of the US.

3.2.4. supporting spreadsheet (partly in Italian)

4. Group activity: METID people are divided into groups of 3-4 people each. Each group is expected to explore a specific topic related to MOOC developments in 2018 and to present the main takeaways

5. Italian platforms

5.1. Federica

5.1.1. interface: rigid, complex, not responsive

5.1.2. videos (e.g. Sociology course): accurate and value added, few (7-8) for each course, average length 6-9 min, effective storytelling, often location shooting, minimal post production (e.g. few animations)

5.1.3. abundant supporting content e.g. text, weblinks; accurate and effective course trailers

5.1.4. course example

5.2. EduOpen

5.2.1. partner universities in Italy, 224 MOOCs in 2018

5.2.2. paying target users (mainly school teachers needing certified training), very interested in content and motivated (not so explicit on the platform). Initial funding from MIUR

5.2.3. based on Moodle technology, developed in Bangalore, India

5.2.3.1. accurate interface, good usablity and navigation

5.2.3.1.1. inside of courses: users can not cherry pick content, but are expected to see everything; pervasive scrollbars

5.2.4. trailers are on YouTube, course videos on a proprietary platform

5.2.5. videos: very long, low quality, direct drive recording, supporting content in text format

5.2.6. upon course completion

5.2.6.1. for free: statement of participation and OpenBadge issued by Bestr platform

5.2.6.2. verified certificate: FtoF exam (also in CINECA's NICE centres) + about 75 €

5.2.6.3. university credits (for students enrolled in universities offering courses on EduOpen EduOpen + FtoF exam) EduOpen