Learning Spaces, Learning Labs, and MOOCs: merging the real and the virtual in connected learning

Many traditional universities face the question whether to embrace MOOCs as an additional business model. Although many have an established income, from often subsidized higher education, with regular students on-campus, uncertainties on future public financing and both the interesting features of MOOCs as well as the possible competition from them are urging a rethink. Very attractive are the learning analytics made possible in online course interaction, which yields data lacking in face-to-face courses. On the other hand, the massive student response to MOOCs shows a potential in terms of visibility and the possibility to recruit talented students. At the same time, however, universities are reaping the benefits of an evolution that is almost as recent, where those universities that possess large real estate assets, have been investing in improving the physical learning environment for students. These so-called “Learning Spaces”, or “Student Centres” offer high-tech equipment in flexible and multifunctional environments, which are highly “wired” and merge seamlessly with the virtual learning environments of the universities. In some cases these facilities are complemented by complete research labs where new learning interactivity is tested. It is our conviction that universities can use this infrastructure as a complementary strength in the development of MOOCs that have a high degree of physical persistence, and maximize the interaction between presential and distance students, to the benefit of both students groups. It is, we will argue, one of the possible routes towards MOOCs that go beyond recorded lectures and lectures that go beyond unidirectional teaching. We will discuss some real examples and propose a Learning Lab Network. ispartof: pages:416-425 ispartof: The Open and Flexible Higher Education Conference 2013: "Transition to open and on-line education in European universities" pages:416-425 ispartof: EADTU location:Paris date:23 Jan - 10 Jan 2013 status: published