Programmed Instruction’s Lessons for xMOOC Designers

Abstract

 Every month, an increasing number of students take university level courses over the internet. These courses, called MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), consist of lectures and demonstrations, quizzes and tests, and internet interactions with other students. MOOCs rely on presentation for teaching. But viewing even the most inspirational lecture does not effectively “shape” behavior. Like tutoring, shaping requires centering instruction around student activity, including its moment to moment progress. In the last century, B. F. Skinner designed a shaping procedure called “Programmed Instruction” (PI). Research on PI revealed features of instruction that would help MOOC designers. In particular, the studies on PI recommend adding more active responding. Centering instruction around student activity not only enhances individual achievement, but also provides data to enable designers to improve the effectiveness of their courses.