Learning Innovation in the Digital Age
The presence of information and communication technologies have made the birth of many innovations, including in education. The use of technology in education allow it to learning to occur without direct face to face between students and lecturers. Even that is now occurring sites that offer online learning.
Not only official websites, and even now it is the era in which everyone shares their knowledge through the virtual world of social media, blogs, forums, and others. “More and more people are sharing their knowledge, the more people who will enhance the science, the better the art.” Said Prof. Ir. Tian Belawati, M.Ed., Ph.D. at the National Seminar and Workshop APMMI, Telkom University, Bandung 3 June, 2015.
MOOC, or Massive Open Online Courses already widely applied in various universities around the world. Furthermore, Prof. Tian tells MOOC first appeared in 2008. It was Stephen Downes and George Siemens who first made an online course which later became the forerunner of distance learning. Four years later, in 2012 is said to be a MOOC year, because this year many emerging online sites like Coursera courses and EDX.
MOOC presence can be an alternative medium of learning in which the student does not need to be face to face with the lecturer. “MOOC usually not only offer free courses, but also implement a pay system where his student will get a certificate.” Said Prof. Tian.
Prof. Tian noted the advantages for the university to apply MOOC among others, can be used to promote a global university, because MOOC allow the university can be seen and followed by all people worldwide. Therefore, many universities are implementing online learning into their strategic plans.