Can the Ugly Duckling of ODL be Transformed into a Swan? The MOOC Effect

Abstract

Public Lecture, University of South Africa (Unisa), Johannesburg, South Africa, 4 October 2013 by Professor Asha Kanwar, Commonwealth of Learning // Or more pertinently for us,‘Can the ugly duckling of ODL be transformed into a swan? What is the MOOC Effect? As you know, as distance educators we have been constantly working towards ‘parity of esteem’ with a system of higher education which goes back 900 years. In many developing countries ODL is still regarded as a second chance and second choice option. MOOCs, a form of distance learning has captured global media attention in the past two years. Will some of this high profile rub off on more traditional ODL provision?