Are MOOCS a Good Alternative to Text Books? This Prof Thinks So

There has been a lot of hype about massive open online courses (MOOCs) and their future place in higher education.  While some trumpet MOOCS as the great transformer of all that is wrong in higher ed, or the great leveler of the playing field, others point to some of the delivery format's current short-comings, such as the low completion rates, as "proof" of long-term failure, and others still choose to ignore these developments completely, perhaps at their peril.

Then there are those who have chosen to embrace MOOCS on their own terms, to explore the possible nexus between the traditional and new.  Panagiotis Tsigaris, a professor and chair of the Department of Economics at Thompson Rivers University, Canada is one such person.  In this Times Higher Ed article entitled MOOCS are a Good Alternative to Books, http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/comment/opinion/moocs-are-a-good-alternative-to-books/2008345.article, Tsigaris reaches the conclusion that MOOCS can be a positive addition to his courses.

"There is no question in my mind that the printed textbook will die out soon. In Canada, British Columbia is taking the lead as the first province to offer students free access to online textbooks for the 40 most popular post-secondary courses next year. However, I also think it is important to accommodate different student needs – so now I plan to offer “à la carte” course materials. Students will have the choice of buying a textbook – either printed or electronic – or using free online educational resources. My guess is that most students will choose the latter, since, as my experience has shown, they are similar enough to be considered almost perfect substitutes for traditional textbooks."

In response to the article, one reader, commented:

"I think that this is a terrific article that expresses the growing trend of MOOCs and education in general. I am currently a student taking online Master's courses. What has been somewhat unsatisfying to me is the approach taking by many professors. It is the same approach that you would see from classroom lectures. I like the idea of integrating MOOCs and other online resources to change the learning process, similar to what is described in the article. I have found myself searching for my own alternative forms of learning through sites mentioned in the article as well as other ones such as www.CourseWorld.org in order to shift away from strictly reading. I hope that more teachers will take this approach in the future as well."

 What do YOU think?