HOW TO MOOC? - A PEDAGOGICAL GUIDELINE FOR PRACTITIONERS
Authors: Ebner Martin , Lackner Elke , Kopp Michael 
Published: February 2023

Objective: In this contribution it will be discussed which pedagogical facts and framework requirements must be taken into account during the development and design of a so called Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). In our research work we concentrate on xMOOC as defined by Yuan & Powell (2013).

Main part: The University of Graz and Graz University of Technology have a long tradition in doing online courses. Following the latest trends as mentioned in the NMC Horizon Report (2013) a project on developing a MOOC-platform has been started. Due to the fact that providing an information system does not automatically lead to a perfect online course further research is necessary to guide lecturers through their content development as well as their online lecturing.For example previous research (Khalil & Ebner, 2013a) pointed out the lack of interaction during such courses, which leads to dissatisfaction on the learners' side (Khalil & Ebner, 2013b). Very high drop our rates (YUAN & POWELL 2013) gave us a hint that the course content differs from learners' expectations. It's not only a good technological background and interesting content that count for the learners' online learning experience, but also the methodological approach concerning interaction, communication and an appropriate form of assessment. However to overcome this issue research has been done addressing following questions:
o Which main issues should be taken into account by a lecturer before planning / starting an xMOOC?
o Which structure should a MOOC follow?
o What do learners expect from a MOOC? Which kind of assessment is appropriate?
o What are the key issues concerning resources and media as well as communication and interaction?

Methods: In this publication we concentrate our research work on a deep literature study followed by a structural analysis. Together with our first practical experiences first recommendations concerning didactics and methodology are carried out.

Results & Findings: We carry out the answers to the proposed research questions in a structural form. Furthermore pedagogical and didactical guidelines are presented in order to show how a MOOC should be designed and devolopped to optimize the learning experience in an online course for learners as well as teachers.

Conclusion: An xMOOC is not a typical online course as we are used to in the last years. This publication should assist practitioners in doing their daily work and guide them through their first massive online open course.

References:
o Khalil, H. & Ebner, M. (2013a). Interaction Possibilities in MOOCs - How Do They ActuallyHappen? International Conference on Higher Education Development, p. 1-24, Mansoura University, Egypt. http://de.scribd.com/doc/134249470/Interaction-Possibilities-in-MOOCs-%E2%80%93-How-Do-They-Actually-Happen [2014-01-09].
o Khalil, H. & Ebner, M. (2013b). "How satisfied are you with your MOOC?" - A Research Study on Interaction in Huge Online Courses. In Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2013 (pp. 830-839). Chesapeake, VA: AACE
o New Media Consortium (2013), The NMC Horizon Report 2013: Higher Education Edition, http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-horizon-report-HE.pdf [2014-01-09].
o Yuan, L. & Powell, S. (2013) MOOCs and Open Education: Implications for Higher Education, http://publications.cetis.ac.uk/2013/667 [2014-01-09].