Internet Learning Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2014 | Page 69

Internet Learning
ences in students’ math proficiency at the
two colleges. The majority of the MassBay
students were computer science majors.
However, these blended courses both used
the MITx 6.00x MOOC course unchanged
(including the problem sets and exams). The
MassBay course, CS 270 Practical Python
Programming, followed the same schedule
as the MITx 6.00x MOOC course. The
BHCC course CIT Python Programming,
would progress more slowly through the
MITx 6.00x MOOC materials – completing
seven of the original 14 weeks (Bell, Hunter,
L’heureux, and Petersen, 2013; “MCO-Keynote,”
2013).
The MITx 6.00x MOOC course was
analyzed with regard to its organization,
pedagogical style, course outcomes, video
lectures, activities, support materials, etc.
The instructors at both community colleges
recognized that the in-class sessions needed
to give students a holistic and clear understanding
of the academic challenges to be
addressed in the MITx 6.00x MOOC assignments.
The community college instructors
supplied the missing “alignments” or
“scaffolding” between MITx 6.00x MOOC
course outcomes and the individual MITx
6.00x MOOC assignments.
Discussions during the course design
phase on how best to support students
given the differences in the math comfort
levels and prior programming experiences
between MassBay and BHCC students led
to different pedagogical approaches. Only
29% of BHCC students had taken at least
one college programming course, compared
to 83% of MassBay students (Bell, Hunter,
L’heureux, and Petersen, 2013).
The MassBay instructor adapted
course materials used to teach a previous
programming course and created online
“notebooks.” These short tutorials, that
MassBay students accessed online, contained
supplemental materials and interactive
preparatory exercises so that students
could independently complete their MITx
6.00x MOOC assignments and tests. At the
weekly classroom sessions, the MassBay instructor
primarily worked, as needed, with
students singularly or in small groups; lectures
were rare. The MassBay course, CS 270
Practical Python Programming, followed the
same timetable and schedule as the MITx
6.00x MOOC course.
The BHCC instructors elected to
teach more traditionally with lectures and
small group work with many hands-on activities.
Student met twice weekly with their
instructors. The BHCC course, CIT 523 Python
Programming, used the same content
but at a slower pace, such that seven weeks
of the MITx 6.000x MOOC materials were
covered by the end of the Spring 2013 semester
rather than the full 14 weeks. BHCC
students could still access the remainder of
the course materials and finish the MITx
6.00x MOOC course on their own so they
might qualify for the edX completion certificate.
Instructional Design
MassBay and BHCC courses were
designed to support the “flipped classroom”
pedagogy. Students accessed MITx 6.000x
MOOC materials online: watched the online
videos; performed the online exercises;
submitted the online homework; and took
the online tests (the edX platform supported
instant scoring, feedback, and multiple submission
attempts) just like any MITx 6.00x
MOOC student. Students at each community
college had required classroom meetings
each week. At MassBay, students met for one
90-minute session; BHCC students met twice
weekly for 60-minute sessions. The community
college students participated in classroom
activities, completed additional homework
assignments, and took in-class exams.
68