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 · 743.4KB69 downloads



Viewed by 225 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

Making ‘MOOCs’: The construction of a new digital higher education within news media discourse
Bulfin, Scott; Pangrazio, Luciana; Selwyn, Neil; McGreal, Rory; Conrad, Dianne
One notable ‘disruptive’ impact of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has been an increased public discussion of online education. While much debate over the potential and challenges of MOOCs has taken place online ...
Match: mooc

Case study as a research method for analyzing MOOCs
Montes-Rodríguez, Ramón; Martínez-Rodríguez, Juan Bautista; Ocaña-Fernández, Almudena
Educational research is one of the many fields of knowledge that frequently use case studies as a research method, particularly when applying an interpretive approach. Based on literature reviews and a systematic ...
Match: mooc

Democratising higher education through open education resources: From Commitment to Action
Kanwar, Asha
I will first look at the context of higher education and some of the initiatives that have been taken to democratise education. I will then bring you some examples of how OER are being harnessed to increase access, ...
Match: mooc

Motivating MOOC participants
Mokwa-Tarnowska, Iwona; Gdańska, Politechnika
Over the last four years, massive online open courses (MOOCs) have attracted millions of learners from around the world. Many factors seem to play an important role in them gaining in popularity. One of them is ...
Match: mooc

Report of the Massive Open Online Course on introduction to Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL MOOC 2)
Cleveland-Innes, Martha; Ostashewki, Nathaniel; Wilton, Daniel; Murphy, JoAnne
This is a report on the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Introduction to Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) organised by Athabasca University, Canada in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning from November 6 ...
Match: mooc

Learning from current trends in online and blended degree education to prepare for the future
Guàrdia, Lourdes; Appel, Christine; Girona, Cris; Padilla, Rodríguez Brenda Cecilia; Witthaus, Gabi
The Online, Open and Flexible Higher Education Conference Hosted by FernUniversität in Hagen, 29-30 October 2015 The number of blended and online degrees being offered by European higher education institutions has ...
Match: mooc; spain

Massive Open Online Courses: Innovation in education?
Siemens, George; McGreal, Rory; Kinuthia, Wanjira; Marshall, Stewart
Match: mooc

The rise and fall of the “Massively Open Online Courses”
Laaser, Wolfram
The paper summarizes the actual debate about “massive open online courses” (MOOC), a concept that swept over like a “Tsunami” to European educators and universities since its first development in 2008. The ...
Match: mooc

Opportunities and threats of the MOOC movement for higher education: The European perspective
Schuwer, Robert; Jaurena, Ines Gil; Aydin, Cengiz Hakan; Costello, Eamon; et al.
The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement is the latest ‘big thing’ in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) which threatens to transform Higher Education. Both opportunities and threats are extensively discussed in ...
Match: mooc

Message at Round Table Conference of State Open Universities
Kanwar, Asha
Video message delivered at the Round Table Conference of State Open Universities held at Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) in Nashik, India by Professor Asha Kanwar, President & CEO, Commonwealth of ...
Match: mooc