Preparing teachers for the classrooms of the future through research and design.
International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education
Sep 1 2018
The Civic Mission of MOOCs: Engagement Across Political Differences in Online Forums
Michael Yeomans, Brandon Michael Stewart, Kimia Mavon, Alex Kindel, Dustin Tingley, Justin Reich
Abstract
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) attract diverse student bodies, and course forums could potentially be an opportunity for students with different political beliefs to engage with one another. We test whether this engagement actually takes place in two politically-themed MOOCs, on education policy and American government. We collect measures of students’ political ideology, and then observe student behavior in the course discussion boards. Contrary to the common expectation that online spaces often become echo chambers or ideological silos, we find that students in these two political courses hold diverse political beliefs, participate equitably in forum discussions, directly engage (through replies and upvotes) with students holding opposing beliefs, and converge on a shared language rather than talking past one another. that focuses on the civic mission of MOOCs helps ensure that open online learning engages the same breadth of purposes that higher education aspires to serve.
Citations
Yeomans, M., Stewart, B. M., Mavon, K., Kindel, A., Tingley, D., & Reich, J. (2018). The Civic Mission of MOOCs: Engagement across Political Differences in Online Forums. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 28(4), 553-589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-017-0161-0
Links to Research
Simulating more Equitable Discussions: Using Teacher Moments And Practice Based Teacher Education In Mathematical Professional Learning
Let’s hit the refresh button (a couple of times): Reimagining math curriculum and teacher learning to broaden participation in the math of the future
The power to change the equation: Mathematics teacher learning reimagined