Goals and Expectations (Finally!) for #change11

OK, so here we are into Week 3 of the of the #Change11 MOOC, and I am finally ready to articulate my own personal goals and expectations for the course. Unlike most courses, there are no stated objectives or expectations for a MOOC. As I quoted from the MOOC Model document in my post Clarification on the question,“What is a MOOC?”, “MOOCs build on the engagement of learners who self-organize their participation according to learning goals,prior knowledge and skills,and common interests.” In other words, I need to set my own objectives and expectations for this year-long course.

While I work professionally as an Instructional Design Project Manager, clarifying learning needs and then building objectives to meet them is something I frequently engage with. However, this is flipped on its head when we establish our own goals for our learning.

Perhaps, however, this is really not that unusual. Consider this–even when we attend traditional courses that have clearly defined learning objectives, we have to remember that those are the goals of the teacher, facilitator, or program–they are not necessarily the goals of the learners themselves. Course goals are not always agreed with or understood in the same way by learners as they are by those facilitating the course. Without dialogue and agreement about this at the very beginning, it is challenging indeed for all participants to move toward the same goals (as nobody has the same goals). Let me state this even more strongly–without discussion and individual agreement–all learners in a course work toward different, and often unstated, goals for the course. 

This is one of the refreshing things that this MOOC has done–it has empowered attendees (learners) to articulate and state their own goals for the course. With this stated, these are my #change11 goals and expectations. By the end of the #change11 MOOC, I will be able to:

  1. Assess the impact and influence of this global, unstructured learning on my PhD Research
  2. Practice an openness to diverse perspectives on learning
  3. Revise my network to be wider and more inclusive

Now that I have stated these three objectives, I feel I am actually starting to expand my learning and practice. What better way to do so than by formulating, and then publicly sharing, these goals for the course?

5 thoughts on “Goals and Expectations (Finally!) for #change11”

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  4. Throughout this #change11 mooc, I’ve been extremely resistant to setting any goals. I’m not sure why, I just don’t want to (which sounds childish but true). I’m content to sort of float around, sponge up what interests me and pass over what doesn’t. I think I’m experiencing some kind of allergy to structure at the moment (a corollary from my apparent allergy to measurement perhaps)?

    1. @brainysmurf –
      Hey, then floating and sponging as your interests are raised is your goal then!
      While I am involved in learning design in my professional work, I am often so surrounded by goals and objectives that I try not to clarify or otherwise focus on them tremendously outside of work (when I focus on learning, that is–I also like to see what may appear). However, I spent some time trying to formulate them here to answer the question, “Why are you spending so much time on that MOOC; shouldn’t you be working on your doctoral thesis”? Thus, my goal articulation is to help me answer why I am spending time here (still being open enough that I learn along the way!).
      Thanks for the input.
      Jeffrey

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