Embedding MOOCs in Academic Programmes as a Part of Curriculum Transformation: A Pilot Case Study

The University of Wollongong's first locally developed and hosted massive open online course (MOOC) The Reluctant Mathematician was a highly scaffolded MOOC designed to support stressed and low-efficacy mathematics learners. It was developed to raise maths skills at our university and also in the community - where such skills continue to be a challenge and in some cases a source of stress. Internally, the MOOC provided an alternative online way to support students who struggle with mathematics at university level and as a complement to the existing face-to-face services. This paper describes a successful approach to using MOOCs not only for addressing skills shortage among university students but also to engage staff in the hybrid learning aspects of curriculum transformation. Based on a small-scale pilot, this paper describes the narrative of engagement of academics and highlights the main elements which were conducive to their involvement in selecting and using the MOOC as support for an assignment in their curriculum. A framework is proposed for educators who are interested in using MOOCs for a similar purpose.