An example of a multi-modal online learning course is Udacity’s CS101 Introduction to Computer Science Course. This course was open to everyone on the internet and was conducted completely online. Moreover, there was no set timing of the course, as the sessions were completed according to the schedule of the student. Moreover, the platform was entirely managed by the provider, and the pathway was centralized. Basically, this course aimed to introduce the basics of computer science to anyone on the internet. The creators of the course wanted students to learn in a motivated manner, as well as be part of a very interactive feedback system.

Since the course platform was managed by the provider, there were no external websites used. Instead, students were able to find all the necessary resources in the platform. Every week, a lecture video was posted, which was usually around ninety minutes long. This was then followed by interactive quizzes, in which students received immediate feedback for their answers.

Another important element of this course was the online discussions. Because the course was open to anyone who wanted to participate, there was a continuous flow of responses and questions. In fact, there were over 88,000 discussion questions posted. At the end of the course, students from over one hundred countries received their certificates of completion. The program was then relaunched with a few adjustments, such as more freedom in terms of schedule.

In my opinion, online courses have great potential in bringing different kinds of opinions together. Because this particular course was open to everyone, opinions from around the world were posted and discussed. Hence, the students in this course were exposed to both the moderator’s thoughts and the opinions of people from different cultures and nationalities. Education done this way makes learning more free and unbiased, thus leading to more critical and open-minded students.

 

Source:

Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching online: A guide to theory, research, and practice. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press.