Section 02. MOOCs vs GOCs

As a TESOL Methodology course participant, you have taken a Global Online Course (GOC). Please read the content below and familiarize yourself with the difference between the GOC and MOOC courses.

This course is a facilitated Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). You may be wondering what the difference between the types of online courses is. The table below explains the three types of courses:

Number of participants: OPEN GOCs have a limit of 25 participants per course. These participants are nominated by Regional English Language Officers around the world. On the other hand, MOOCs can accept an unlimited number of participants, and anyone may take part in the course.

Length of course: Most GOCs last for 8 weeks. Facilitated MOOCs last 5 weeks, and self-paced MOOCs are open for 12 weeks.

Instruction: GOCs are led by an instructor, who gives feedback on assignments and answers student questions. Facilitated MOOCs may involve varying levels of interaction with the instructor, depending on the course. In self-paced MOOCs, participants direct their own learning.

Learning Management System: GOCs are taught using the OPEN Canvas LMS, which is designed for smaller courses. MOOCs are run through Canvas Network, which is the Canvas LMS platform designed specifically for larger courses such as MOOCs.

Contact with instructor: In a GOC, the instructor gives personalized feedback to participants on assignments. In a MOOC, due to the large number of participants, each participant is more responsible for his or her own learning.

Are you interested in learning more about GOCs? If so, please check out the OPEN website to learn more about program eligibility.