The Rise, Fall, and Rethinking of Online Education

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) emerged in 2012 and quickly generated enormous levels of hope and excitement that a revolution in education was upon us. Stanford, then Harvard, MIT, and other elite universities poured significant resources into developing technological platforms and institutional capacities to meet the new opportunity to democratize learning at a global level. However, despite their initial popularity, the hype cycle crested and the challenges of MOOCs began to become more and more apparent: low completion rates, limited student engagement, and uncomfortable questions about whether MOOCs, contrary to hopes, were most benefitting the already advantaged. Discouragement set in. Yet in the wake of MOOC experimentation, a new model of online learning is demonstrating real success: Cohort-Based Courses (CBCs), which offer a more structured, community-oriented, and interactive learning experience. Unlike the one-size-fits-all approach of MOOCs, CBCs emphasize small, collaborative learning groups, fostering deeper engagement, accountability, and personalized feedback. This presentation will discuss this recent history of digital education innovation and offer suggestions for consolidating and building upon the lessons learned and evidence gained.