International Higher Education Teacher Award ^2024/25

In recent years, Massive Open Online Courses have been critically discussed a lot in Higher Education. However, they have never lost their relevance and topicality, especially in times of distance learning and digitalization in Higher Education. The demand and needs of today's students have changed over the last years. They expect more flexibility in terms of time and place when learning, and they also expect digitally supported education to a certain extent. After all, digital skills are seen as key competencies for participation in society and are therefore an indispensable part of (higher) education. Furthermore, the conditions of students are quite diverse (part-time employed, people with impairments, family obligations) which has to be addressed in an HE institution. In addition to considering the target group, it is important to keep an eye on skills like lifelong learning as a 21st century study skill. Therefore, and also as part of the third mission, providing higher education for the public, the MCI | The Entrepreneurial School ® has created two MOOCs, a learning opportunity on different relevant topics. The first two MOOCs by MCI have been developed in summer/autumn 2021 and are dealing with the topics on Entrepreneurship as well as on Decision Making as an extra-curricular offer to our students and to all interested learners in the world. Together with two lecturers of the MCI and two learning designers, the courses have been developed and designed in order to ensure quality of the content as well as quality of an innovative didactic concept. The MOOCs are made available on the Austrian MOOC platform called iMoox. The content of the MOOCs mainly consists of short video lectures, learning activities and quizzes which are embedded in a predefined and standardized learning path. As the MOOCs are in a fully self-paced format, the learning paths are designed in sequential learning steps according to the learning objectives to ensure the best possible learning experience and learning outcomes at the end of the course. Learning paths facilitate personalised learning to a certain extent and try to take social processes into account through the systemic, interactive learning environment. Thus, the learning paths are key to the learning success of the MOOC. As the MOOCs are completely openly accessible, they can be seen as a stand-a-alone course but they can also be integrated as a flexible component into a blended learning or extra-curricular program.

Methodology

The planning and development of the MOOCs started with research on different possible MOOC providers worldwide. Based on the target groups and general conditions the decision was made in favour of the Austrian platform iMoox, which has its reach primarily in German-speaking countries. The most important step before starting to develop the MOOCs was to find out exactly what is technically possible on the platform and under what conditions the MOOC can be designed with regard to certification, publication of content, didactic aspects, design aspects, etc. The groundwork for the MOOC projects was the specially developed MOOC framework including the didactic design and a planning canvas which is also published under CC BY. The project team consists of two course leaders Christoph Engl and Johannes Siebert who have the role of subject matter experts and are responsible for the content of the MOOC. Two instructional designers, Michaela Preuner and Ina Müller, are responsible for the overall project management, didactic design and consisteny within the MOOCs as well as for the integration of the content into the platform. Furthermore, two project staff members were involved in the coordination with project partners, the acquisition of practice partners and the development of some content elements. The project teams of the two MOOCs meet on a regular basis for discussions on topics like the content, structure, workload, learning goals, certification, promotion etc. Before the MOOCs start in January 2022, several review process were conducted with students, instructional designers, subject matter experts and responsible persons from the MOOC platform.

Tools, equipment, technology used

The MOOCs have been implemented into the Moodle learning management system of iMoox, the MOOC platform. Since Moodle is an open source program, the idea of open free education is also carried forward here. Moodle is constantly being further developed and adapted to current developments. The learning platform enables flexible, mobile and secure learning. Furthermore, it offers various functionalities like quizzes, interactive elements and design elements. Most of the content is published in the so called “Micro-Lecture” video format which means that the video lectures are divided into small learning nuggets. The Micro-Lectures were produced in the video production studio of MCI | The Entrepreneurial School ®. Furthermore, the authoring tool H5P was used to create interactive videos for a better and interactive learning experience. Integrated quizzes and reflection questions directly engage learners and allow them to build on existing knowledge and reinforce new learning.

Outcomes and outputs, main results

At the time of project submission, the MOOCs have been finalized and participants can already register for the MOOCs since November 2021. As promotion of the MOOCs has already started, a satisfactory number of enrolments can already be recorded at the time of submission. The MOOCs will be used in different contexts. In this respect, some concrete application scenarios and programmes are already being discussed where the MOOCs can be integrated. The MOOC “Entrepreneurship & Technology: from idea to market” will be part of a further education program within the Ulysseus European University alliance of which the MCI | The Entrepreneurial School ® is a part of.

Lessons learnt

From a project management perspective, project meetings on a regular basis are key to ensure that everyone involved is working on their tasks and to be able to exchange updates quickly or to avoid overlaps. For the evaluation process of the MOOC platform, it is advisable to find out exactly under which conditions you can offer a MOOC on the concrete platform as well as which technical and didactic possibilities you have. This is very important so that certain points can be taken into account during the development of the MOOC. Further, it is advisable to make to most out of the graphic design possibilities of the platform, for example using icons for better navigation and overview. This is one strategy to reduce cognitive load of the learners when they go through the course. In the development one should take into account to start, the review process soon enough in order to be able to revise necessary changes or to solve technical challenges in time before the course starts. And of course it is helpful to have lecturers on board who are highly motivated to try out a new format in which they are presenting the knowledge. On the technical side, it is important to ensure that the format meets the requirements for mobile learning. Therefore, the MOOC should always be tested on different devices and with different browsers.

Adaptability and sustainability of the best practice (for other institutions)

In general, Massive Open Online Courses have a sustainable character as their content is designed for a longer period and can also be reused in different contexts. The MCI MOOCs are freely available and all content is published under Creative Commons license. This means that the courses or parts of them can be flexibly integrated into other courses or programs by other institutions in different contexts. Also available under creative common is the planning document for the MOOCs. This document offers other institutions the opportunity to start preparing the MOOC directly, since the basic planning already exists.

Promotion of best practice

The two MOOCs were advertised on different channels by MCI | The Entrepreneurial School ® as well as by the various partners and lecturers involved. For both MOOCs graphics, teaser videos and promotion videos were produced. At the time of this submission, the MCI marketing department is contacting media from Germany and Austria. In this way, we want to reach as many people as possible with our topics. In the specially created promotional videos, the advantages of time- and location-independent learning are highlighted once again. The dissemination channels used are the following: internal MCI Newsletter to faculty staff, MCI’s social media channels like Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, social media channels and Newsletter of the iMoox platform and the monthly newsletter for students. There are also special communication channels for the individual MOOCs. MOOC “Entrepreneurship & Technology”: The main target group of this MOOC are students, scientists and those interested in founding their own business – regardless of which discipline the participants come from. The target group implies an academic level in the content of this MOOC, whereby no concrete prior knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship is necessary. In order to gain even more reach among the target group, the channels of the WTZ project were used. Furhtermore the channels of the Medizinische Universität Innsbruck were used to reach all students and researchers with medical background. MOOC: “Decision Making”: This MOOC is aimed at high school graduates, students and all those who plan to lead a happier and more self-determined life in the future through proactive decision-making. Special promotion activities have been made through a TEDx Talk (link in Dropbox), a Newspaper article of DerStandard (link in Dropbox) , the research network of the lecturer and the special Marketing campagne called “New Year's resolutions” as a press release in different media in Austria and Germany.

Scope and impact

• Institutional level
• National level
• EU/EHEA/International level

Institutional level Online self-paced courses like MOOCs are one of many approaches and activities which are implemented at MCI | The Entrepreneurial School ® to ensure digital enhanced learning and to meet the MCI’s strategic priorities “Digitalization & Online”. The MCI’s Learning Solutions department keeps close track of current developments in the field of innovative teaching and learning scenarios in higher education. The didactical design of self-paced courses are of particular interest. Courses are developed in different contexts, evaluated and further developed based on scientific findings. The two MOOCs serve as role models for further MOOC projects at MCI. It is planned that the MOOCs will be integrated into the various study programmes. The MOOCs are thus also a way to make teaching more digital and innovative. National level In the sense of the Third Mission to share knowledge with the civic society, stated in the guiding theme of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research, the MCI as an Entrepreneurial School pursues the dimension of lifelong learning with projects such as MOOCs project. In addition, the guiding themes of the Austrian Federal Ministry have a main focus on digital teaching and learning which is also addressed with the development and publication of Massive Open Online Courses. The promotion of Digital Skills through MOOCs are key for employability in the labour market as a certain level of digital skills is required in over 90% of current jobs (European Commission 2021). EU/EHEA/International level MOOCs are among the most important Open Education initiatives of the EU. The MOOCs by MCI | The Entrepreneurial School ® are open to the world without the need of being formally registered as a student at the institution, which is a main criteria for the EU when it comes to Open Education offers. Online learning opportunities such as MOOCs enable lifelong learning for a broad swath of the population while promoting digital literacy. The teaching of these key competencies is explicitly demanded and promoted by the EU member states. Furthermore, lifelong learning is an essential element of EHEA and inherent in all aspects of the Bologna Process, especially regarding steps like widening access to higher education and creating more flexible, student-centered modes of delivery. Recently, the European Commission published Council Recommendation on Micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability to ensure that everyone has access to relevant training opportunities. MOOCs are one way that can facilitate this recommendation.

6.1 Digitalization

• Outstanding, innovative, excellent practices of online / blended / hybrid learning
• Other:

  Promoting digital skills and lifelong learning as two essential 21st century skills

Reasoning: As the MOOCs are a fully online and mobile learning opportunity, digitalization is the basis for the project. The MOOCs are published on the digital platform Moodle. Most of the content is presented in the form of video lectures. In order to support the learner and to increase the interactivity in the self-paced course, quizzes were integrated into the videos using the H5P tool. MOOCs combine two essential competencies, learning a self-directed way and learning in an virtual environment.

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6.2 Internationalization

• Courses implemented in international cooperation (projects, co-teaching, virtual/blended mobility, etc.)

Reasoning: The MCI is part of the Ulysseus association, in which European universities have set themselves the goal of strengthening social cohesion and becoming a common, cosmopolitan institution. MOOCs have an essential contribution when it comes to promoting a cosmopolitan university model. They enable a virtual mobility of students and all interested persons.

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6.3 Inclusion and diversity, universal design

• Universally designed teaching material - adjustable for special needs

Reasoning: Inclusive education means also taking into account people with special learning needs. The MOOCs by MCI | The Entrepreneurial School ® are an open educational offering at university level in which an attempt has been made to take into account the different prerequisites of all learners by preparing the material in multimedia form (audio, video with subtitles, transcript, images, etc.).

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6.4 Sustainability

• Other:

  Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Reasoning: MOOCs are available free of charge to anyone who is interested, regardless of time or place. No hard copies or materials are required to participate, only an end device and an Internet connection are necessary. This makes educational content at university level accessible to a broad section of the population, giving as many people as possible the opportunity to continue their education. By releasing the content in the form of the Creative Commons license, it can be used in different contexts.

3.3 Public contact datas

Name	Email address	Website
Michaela Preuner	michaela.preuner@mci.edu