The OER Knowledge Cloud makes use of cookies. By continuing, you consent to this use. More information.
The discrete optimization MOOC: An exploration in discovery-based learning
Coffrin, Carleton and Hentenryck, Pascal Van

Alternate titleIssue No.37 Experiences and best practices in and around MOOCs
PublishedMarch 2014
JournaleLearning Papers
Volume 37, Issue March 2014, Pages 51-56
Publisherelearningeuropa.info
Original PublicationEMOOCS 2014 conference
EditorsUllmo, Pierre-Antoine and Koskinen, Tapio
CountrySpain

ABSTRACT
The practice of discrete optimization involves modeling and solving complex problems which have never been encountered before and for which no universal computational paradigm exists. Teaching such skills is challenging: students must learn not only the core technical skills, but also an ability to think creatively in order to select and adapt a paradigm to solve the problem at hand.
This paper explores the question of whether the teaching of such creative skills translates to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). It first describes a discovery-based learning methodology for teaching discrete optimization, which has been successful in the classroom for over fifteen years. It then evaluates the success of a MOOC version of the class via data analytics enabled by the wealth of information produced in the MOOC.

Keywords computer science education · discovery-based learning · MOOC · problem solving skills

Published atBarcelona
ISSN1887-1542
RefereedYes
Rightsby-nc-nd/3.0
URLhttp://openeducationeuropa.eu/en/article/The-Discrete-Optimization-MOOC%3A-An-Exploration-in-Discovery-Based-Learning?paper=136477
Export optionsBibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar



AVAILABLE FILES
From-field_37_2.pdf · 743.4KB86 downloads



Viewed by 275 distinct readers




CLOUD COMMUNITY REVIEWS

The evaluations below represent the judgements of our readers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cloud editors.

Click a star to be the first to rate this document


POST A COMMENT
SIMILAR RECORDS

Effectiveness of integrating MOOCs in traditional classrooms for undergraduate students
Israel, Maria Joseph; Conrad, Dianne; McGreal, Rory
The idea of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has attracted a lot of media attention in the last couple of years. MOOCs have been used mostly as stand-alone online courses without credits. However, some researchers, ...
Match: MOOC

Starting MOOCs in African university: The experience of Cadi Ayyad University, process, review, recommendations, and prospects
Jouicha, Abdellah Idrissi; Berrada, Khalid; Bendaoud, Rachid; Machwate, Said; et al.
The increasing number of enlistees claiming their right to enroll in the programs of African Universities and the limited number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were the prime reasons of students overcrowding in ...
Match: MOOC

Comparing institutional MOOC strategies 2015- Czech Republic report: Status report based on a mapping survey conducted in October – December 2015
Rohlíková, Lucie; Rohlík, Ondřej; Jansen, Darco; Goes-Daniels, Miriam; et al.
Executive Summary Institutional MOOC involvement Czech HEIs are mostly still in the process of finding their way to their own MOOC courses. The Czech Association of Distance Teaching Universities (ČADUV) at the ...
Match: MOOC

Guidelines for quality assurance and accreditation of MOOCs
Commonwealth of Learning
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have emerged as an educational innovation with the potential to increase access to and improve the quality of education. Different stakeholders in education view MOOCs from different ...
Match: MOOC

Alexander the MOOC lands
Rogers, Guy M.
Almost four months ago my EdX/WellesleyX course, “Was Alexander Great?” was launched to test three questions about online education: whether a Massive Open Online Course could be as intellectually rigorous as a ...
Match: MOOC

MOOCs for Norway: New digital learning methods in higher education
Kjeldstad, Berit; Alvestrand, Harald; Elvestad, Endre Olsvik; Ingebretsen, Trond; et al.
The report is divided into the following chapters: Chap. 1: Introduction Chap. 2: The Commission’s definition of MOOCs Chap. 3: The Commission’s recommendations Chap. 4: MOOCs in a social perspective Chap. 5: ...
Match: MOOC

Conclusions of construction and development of MOOCs in China
Zheng, Qinhua; Chen, Li; Burgos, Daniel
On the whole, China has made remarkable achievements in construction of MOOCs, but it is also facing serious challenges. In the following parts, we are going to start from the perspective of the sustainable development ...
Match: MOOC

Evaluation of the UNED MOOCs implementation: Demographics, learners' opinions and completion rates
Gil-Jaurena, Inés; Callejo-Gallego, Javier; Agudo, Yolanda
The paper is a study about the MOOC experience at the Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED), where we have collected initial and final information about learners' profiles and opinions, as well as ...
Match: MOOC; Spain

MOOCs and their afterlives: Experiments in scale and access in higher education
Losh, Elizabeth
A trio of headlines in the Chronicle of Higher Education seem to say it all: in 2013, “A Bold Move Toward MOOCs Sends Shock Waves;” in 2014, “Doubts About MOOCs Continue to Rise,” and in 2015, “The MOOC Hype ...
Match: MOOC

On the impact of MOOCs on engineering education
Iqbal, Sajid; Zang, Xizhe; Zhu, Yanhe; Chen, Yan Yan; Zhao, Jie
From the early 90s, online education has been continually reshaping the notion of open learning. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have generated a paradigm shift in online education by presenting free high-quality ...
Match: MOOC