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LOUISVILLE, KY -- (Marketwire) -- 01/21/13 -- Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are growing in popularity. Already 22 of the nation's top 25-ranked universities offer MOOCs, and more are expected to join the field.

Learning House, a provider of online education solutions, applied its quality evaluations to two MOOCs, a history course and a literature course, offered by Coursera. The results can be found in the inaugural entry of The Online Learning Curve, a blog dedicated to discussing best practices in all aspects of online higher education.

"MOOCs are a huge part of the conversation right now," said Dr. David Clinefelter, Chief Academic Officer and author of the blog. "But the question is, are they valuable to the student? Learning House evaluates each of its online courses with specific rubrics, and we applied those to two MOOCs. The results were interesting, to say the least."

Using its five-level Quality Review Form, Learning House judged the two MOOCs to be well organized and thoughtful, encouraging higher-level thinking and providing useful and accurate information.

When it came to instructor engagement, however, the two MOOCs did not fare as well. According to the Course Delivery Rubric, which measures six categories of engagement. The MOOCs were found to be lacking in one-to-one instructor engagement and personal interaction.

"Does this lack of personal attention matter?" asked Clinefelter. "I'm not sure. It depends on a lot of factors, and how the student learns best. I think MOOCs offer a lot of value, but I also think there's room for a hybrid MOOC/traditional delivery system that provides more engagement and attention."

To read the full blog entry, click here.

The Learning House, Inc. is an online education solutions partner that helps colleges and universities develop and grow high-quality online degree programs and courses. Partnering with more than 100 colleges and universities, Learning House offers a business model that enables institutions to achieve their online education goals efficiently and affordably. Learning House provides a comprehensive solution to success, including curriculum development and management, faculty training and professional development, marketing and lead generation, admissions and enrollment management, student retention, 24/7 technical support, learning management systems, and management and consultation.



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Contact:
Emily Wheeler
Corporate Marketing Manager
The Learning House, Inc.
Email Contact
(502) 815-0656