Insight: online courses to transform university education, not replace it

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Published: 12:50pm, 2 Dec 2013

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Culture; Shakespeare's Hamlet; Text, Performance and Culture; Improving Your Image: Dental Photography and Practice - these are just a sample of courses about to start on a computer near you.

I am a new convert to the power and potential of Moocs - massive open online courses - as a new channel for lifelong learning and a disruptive force in higher education.

With the clarity of the teaching that is possible with Moocs, and the range of courses on offer, it is no wonder traditional academics are nervous.

Students may find Weike Wang, of Shanghai Jiatong University - who is about to start his course, the Journey of Mathematics, on the Coursera platform - more helpful in understanding abstraction in maths than a fleeting face-to-face lecture, particularly with the rewind functions and interaction that is now possible on the web, and his personable delivery.

Online courses dominated the discussion at the recent British Council Global Education Dialogue in Beijing, on the impact of digital technology in higher education, an event co-organised by the National Academy of Education Administration.

Pioneers who are delivering from Hong Kong, the mainland, and Britain, debated their role with enthusiasts and sceptics from universities across the mainland.

The event brought some clarity as to the impact the courses may have. On the positive side, they have great potential to extend learning to those who might not have had the chance to get the education they desire - perhaps mainlanders who missed out because of the Cultural Revolution. Some are now flocking to the US-based Coursera platform, or Tsinghua University's new XuetangX.com as eager adult learners.