MOOCs, SPOCs and next generation Open Access Learning

ONLINE open courseware and the connected rising interest in e-portfolios for student assessment will be as much of challenge for standards as it is now for the educators looking to adapt their curricula.

ONLINE open courseware and the connected rising interest in e-portfolios for student assessment will be as much of challenge for standards as it is now for the educators looking to adapt their curricula. Griffith University vice-chancellor Ian O'Connor said changes sweeping university teaching would create new challenges for those attempting to monitor academic standards.

But it will inevitably lead to a greater focus on the assessment of student outcomes and graduate capabilities.

The growth of massive open online courses, backed by the likes of Stanford, Harvard and MIT, are impossible to ignore and universities are increasingly taking advantage of such content.

Deakin University has said it will embed some of these MOOCs into its own curriculum. Others, such as University of Technology, Sydney, are looking to follow suit.

At the same time, online technology is making it easier for universities to develop and share high-quality content.