Professional Practice in Design a Massive Open Online Course

Abstract

This thesis project is the development of a massive open online course (MOOC), an open access course available to anyone with an internet connection. The course title for this MOOC is Professional Practice in Design and focuses on career development skills for a student enrolled in a college design program. Not all design programs offer instruction on these topics and the student gains an advantage in the workplace with this course instruction. The methodology selected is that of the xMOOC which mirrors the instruction found in a traditional on campus course with the instructor giving a lecture and then assessing students learning with assignments and tests. The conclusions found that in contrast to other xMOOCs, provided by such organizations as Coursera and edX where thousands of students participate at one time, this course would require an enrollment cap. Additionally, it was found offering a MOOC through a college program for tuition credit could potentially result in more consistent student engagement and participation. Finally, MOOCs are new to the online learning environment and there are a number of unanswered questions about topics such as, a business model for organizations offering courses, the ability to continue to offer open access courses for free and the acceptance by colleges and employers.