MCC Offers Cutting-Edge Open Education Opportunity Through Massive Open Online Course

McHenry County College is blazing a new trail by offering an online class that is free and open to anyone in the world. The new class, “Online Reputation for Career Success,” begins April 15 and is geared for college student populations or for anyone who is interested in improving their image online, especially in social media.

The three-week non-credit class—open to anyone—is delivered as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), which is becoming a popular way of providing free courses across a variety of subject matter.  McHenry County College is the first community college in Illinois and one of the few throughout the country to offer a MOOC.

“MCC is breaking higher education boundaries by implementing a MOOC, which embodies 21st century education through delivery, content and expertise,” said Christina Haggerty, chief communications officer. “Higher education constantly evolves, although the change can be slow,” Haggerty said. “One recent, rapid change involves the emergence of free or very low-cost and open-access courses, lessons and teaching materials. These materials are usually made by universities, individual teachers and educational publishers, or by professionals who are experts in their field.”

“Online Reputation for Career Success” is taught by administrators from MCC’s Student Services division, including Kate Harger, dean of MCC’s Library, Ray Lawson, director of Online Learning and Educational Technology, and along with Kathy Meisinger, MCC’s former Career Services coordinator.

According to Harger, the three-week course focuses on the importance of having an online identity in today’s workforce.

“Part of a student’s success in the 21st century workplace is understanding the importance of and knowing how to manage his or her online presence. Employers and clients look at online accounts, including Facebook and Twitter. Part of our course shows students how to research themselves and how to remedy the material they don’t like.”

The MOOC allows students to work at their own pace and log in to the course at their convenience. The course includes online lessons and discussion forums facilitated by the three instructors and auto graded quizzes. “In an open education environment, students really take on the responsibility for learning. They can interact online with their peers and they learn from each other,” Harger said.

“It’s kind of like an education revolution,” Lawson said. “There is a movement to make education free for people around the world. “This is a golden opportunity for many people because unique classes such as ours are not offered in their area or people cannot afford to attend college,” Lawson said.

“The world is a global village,” Lawson said. “This is one way for us to connect. It’s a way for us to share expertise with the rest of the world.”

Lawson added that the College can benefit from broader name recognition that can open the doors for faculty to share their expertise through conferences or teaching-related opportunities, both here and abroad.

So far, the demand for MCC’s massive open online course has reached around the world, with 300 students enrolled the week before the course starts. Most of the students are from the U.S., France, Russia, Netherlands and India.

MOOCs started a few years ago by Ivy League universities with courses taught by prestigious faculty members. The universities soon formed large consortiums, including EdX, Coursera and Udacity to offer more courses. The concept appealed to Bill and Melinda Gates, who awarded millions of grants to develop MOOCs. Last October, the Gates Foundation awarded 12 grants totaling $3 million.

According to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the global distribution of students who have enrolled in Duke University’s online courses include 37 percent from North America, 31 percent from Europe, 16 percent from Asia, 10 percent from Latin America and the Caribbean, three percent from Oceania, and two percent from Africa.

Depending on the interest, Harger said, the MOOC will be offered again in the future, or other credit classes may be added.

The course officially begins on April 15 with an orientation, but people can sign up anytime. Those interested in the class may register online at https://www.canvas.net/courses/online-reputation-for-career-success. For more information, contact (815) 455-8695.