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Innovations in MOOCs for Older Learners: Overcoming Barriers and Promoting Engagement

Explore how MOOCs can benefit older learners, addressing barriers such as technology comfort levels and leveraging neurocognitive advantages. Discover tailored strategies for engaging and retaining older adults in online education.

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Innovations in MOOCs for Older Learners: Overcoming Barriers and Promoting Engagement

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  1. MOOCs and the Older Learner Chelsea Crown Graduate Researcher & MSW/MPH Candidate Osher Lifelong Learning Institute University of California, Berkeley August 13, 2014

  2. OLLI @Berkeley Year-round program for adults age 50+ • non-credit courses • lectures • special events • interest circles • research

  3. Why You Should Pay Attention to Older Learners: • MOOCs-as-intervention • Demographics • Risk factors • Homebound seniors • Neurocognitive advantages

  4. Who We Studied • Group 1: n=7, age 80+ • Group 2: n=6, age 50+ Profile • Highly educated • Highly motivated • Relatively tech-savvy • Equal gender ratio

  5. MOOCs and the Over 80 Learner • Part of “Fourth Age Salon” programming • Four 90-minute Salons during Fall 2013 • Blended Learning • Coursera: “What A Plant Knows” • Tel Aviv University • Professor Daniel Chamovitz

  6. MOOCs and the Over 50 Learner • Part of a Winter 2014 course • Five 90-minute classroom discussions • Blended Learning: • Coursera: “The History and Future of (Mostly) Higher Education” • Duke University • Professor Cathy Davidson

  7. Main Takeaways • Barriers of aging • Barriers of comfort with technology • Benefits • Drop-outs • Blended learning and social support • Content

  8. Case Example • Over-80 learner with profound hearing loss • “MOOCs are not made for people like me.” • Increasing stigma and distraction  drop-out K. Patricia Cross UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus

  9. Universal Design Principles • Consistent design and appearance • Pay attention to contrast levels (high contrast) • Dark background, light text • Make sites navigable by keyboard • Clear and large text on slides • Camera with a clear view of instructor’s mouth • Include an “accessibility statement” • Design the platform and test each MOOC for maximum usability Adapted from University of Washington: http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/universal.design.html

  10. Engage and Retain Older Adults • Improve demos and help sections • Virtual MOOC assistant • MOOCpeer guide program • Educate professors on pedagogy for diverse audience when designing slides

  11. Tailoring the MOOC Experience • Build a short quiz into the registration process: • Level of comfort/experience with technology or MOOCs • Internet connection • Language-proficiency level • Hearing/vision/physical difficulties • Would you prefer to always have captions turned on? • Would you prefer a high-contrast visual experience? • Do you need an increased text size? • Would you prefer to navigate the site using only your keyboard? • Then the quiz tailors the individual user interface to the unique needs of the user

  12. The Future of MOOCs at OLLI @Berkeley • Fall 2014 • EdX course, “The Science of Happiness,” UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center • 2015 • Developing a MOOC on Healthy Aging • Presenting “MOOCs and the Older Learner” at the American Society on Aging Conference

  13. Thank you! Chelsea Crown Graduate Researcher chelseacrown@berkeley.edu Susan Hoffman Executive Director shoffman@berkeley.edu OLLI @Berkeley University of California, Berkeley www.olli.berkeley.edu

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