MOOC-TITUDE: Only one of five faculty members recently surveyed by Inside Higher Ed agreed that “online courses can achieve learning outcomes equivalent to those of in-person courses.” And 76% of professors and 71% of tech admins believe that the press has over-hyped the value of MOOCs. Based on responses from 2,251 professors, the “Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology” finds also found that even among professors who have taught online courses, only half agree that these can be as effective as face-to-face classes. The author asked thought leaders to comment on the findings. Phil Hill from e-Literate suggests the findings may be skewed since most of the respondents came from humanities and social sciences, which tend to be underrepresented in online offerings. Cathy Davidson from Duke University “worries about faculty members or administrators framing the debate as being about whether online is equivalent or better to in-person instruction…[when] the reality…is that both forms must change.”
