# data[].attributes.body
Does Katie have examples of terrible commentary on MOOC?

# data[].attributes.headline
Who to consider when designing a course?

# data[].attributes.subject
Who to consider when designing a course?

# data[].attributes.body
Whether a course is synchronous, asynchronous or completely self-paced there are trade offs for the type of learning that you're able to do.

Begin by thinking about the learners, what would work best for them. Then think about your subject and what kind of timing to teach it.

# data[].attributes.body
The benefits: While students aren't together at a particular time, they are still going through the material together and you can design activities so that they don't feel alone. This is much more flexible for learners.

The drawbacks: It's hard to do group work and discussions. Students sometimes feel isolated and can more easily slip through the cracks if they're struggling. Students must have stronger study skills to keep up with the work. If you plan on doing group work, you must be aware that you are asking students to coordinate schedules in a way that might be very difficult.

# data[].attributes.body
The benefits: This is the most flexible option as students can start or stop any time. It's good for corporate training where you might be on-boarding new people at any given time. It's also great for "fun" courses that people want to start the moment they have the idea that they might want to learn something new.

The drawbacks: Course community is tough, although sometimes you can harness social media. Unless students are required to complete a course (i.e. for work), retention rates can be very low. Most MOOCs have a completion rate of around 5%, for example.

# data[].attributes.body
Is this a for-credit course where a teacher would need to evaluate student work?

Are they likely to have many questions and need support?

Or are you putting the information together and letting them go through it on their own?

# data[].attributes.body
Is it crucial to your course that your students come in person, i.e. for labs, workshops, highly interactive role plays or something else. If so, is this possible for the type of student you're designing for? How often is it possible for them to come?

# data[].attributes.body
If you're fortunate, you might be able survey students or potential students and ask them directly. If not (and often times you don't have this kind of access), ask your instructors what they think. If you're working at a school or other institution, they have probably already done research on what students want and have a set of choices that you can pick from.

Often times these decisions are made in advance by higher ups before the course gets to the design stage. If that's the case, you go with what you've got.

# data[].attributes.body
The other thing to think about is whether your course will have an active course community. A community can be fantastic but also a bit tricky to develop.

# data[].attributes.body
In a cohort-based class, it means making sure your students have a chance to get to know each other and have ways to interact built into the course.

It takes a lot to fully break down hierarchies in your class, and only you can decide if you want to take this on as a goal. But you can go a long way towards making students feel more comfortable in class and overcoming the anonymity of the internet by fostering course community.

Learning impediments still exist (stereotype bias, cultural bias) and can be HEIGHTENED in MOOC settings.

# data[].attributes.body
As opposed to statistics, problem sets and skills based assignments.

Education is much more than the transfer of knowledge from one head into another. It's about caring about what you're learning, seeing yourself as capable of new things, and sharing ideas that take us out of our own conceptions and allow us to see the world as bigger than us.

These things are best achieved through human interaction.

The formation of course community is therefore extremely important to learning--especially in an online course where it's easy for students to feel isolated from each other and from their instructor.

# data[].attributes.body
The benefits: It's easier to develop course community and to interact with each other in a setting that feels more like an in-person class. It's great for group work and for highly interactive or discussion-based courses.

The drawbacks: It's the least flexible online option for your students. You have to be aware that you are asking people to arrange their lives around course time and that you are making it difficult for people in other time zones to attend. You have to make sure it's worth it to be there in real time.

# data[].attributes.body
Technology is important, but it’s not the whole story. You won’t get Social Learning to work just by buying a system. It’s all about the design and facilitation. That’s why an organisation that wants to use a Scaffolded Social Learning approach needs to invest in it’s people, not just it’s technology.