Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Agency as an emerging phenomenon in the construction of massive open online courses: a discursive–material approach to the techno- pedagogical edX platform and its forums

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Interesting article (16 page PDF) on agency in MOOCs that ultimately identifies six types of agency for educators (because educators love a taxonomy):

  1. as catalysts for interaction, discussion, debate and/or controversy
  2. as monitors that may or may not intervene when discussions
  3. as sources of authoritative knowledge in a position to judge the quality of student contributions
  4. as reinforcers of social bonds
  5. as human beings
  6. as entities who accompany learners throughout their MOOC experience

I think it would have been more interesting to focus on emerging forms of agency in students, and I'm not sure this is the best taxonomy of agency that could have emerged form the data: number 3 seems to be two distinct forms of agency, while 5 and 6 seem to describe what they are rather than what they do.

 

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 23, 2024 3:42 p.m.

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