I was thinking about the requirements of Activity 12 on H817open which is to ‘briefly consider if the MOOC approach could be adopted in your own area of education or training’.
Browsing fellow MOOCer, Nat Nelson’s post on potential MOOC learners being staff sparked off some ideas. I support other staff (L&D, trainers and teachers) who are integrating technology into teaching and learning. An MOOC that builds a personal learning environment for trainers’ evolving job roles or a MOOC on building a personal toolkit would support continuing professional development – participants would be using the tools themselves to gather appropriate tools and techniques about learning design for elearning and blended learning, how to curate resources to build domain knowledge and keep up with developments, and engage in reflection on practice.
Another group I have been thinking about are parents who are worried about digital literacy, internet safety and want to get more familiar with tools such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Dropbox, Google search techniques etc. A MOOC would function as an open course to build familiarity with the various tools that they are concerned about, while more experienced parents (and kids) could share their expertise. The purpose would be to develop shared experience and knowledge around these issues and engage with good practices such as appropriate representation in social media, searching for resources online, engaging on Twitter and . Hmm..I like the idea of developing a MomMOOC.
I see a cMOOC approach to both of these possible MOOCs rather than a traditional instructivist design. Both these groups are communities whose members have much to offer. One aim might be to build a resource toolkit for other members of the community, so co-construction of curriculum would be part of the MOOC practice. While there isn’t a requirement for formal assessments, badges might prove to be motivators and signposts of key learning moments.
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littlegreycellsblog 
I love this idea, especially the parents aspect. A lot still don’t know much about social media. Th toolkit is a great idea and I like the bit about involving experience kids.
Sukaina all interesting, though a low time investment MOOC for women to empower others sounds like a very interesting prospect…Like!
Thanks Paige. Yes ‘low time investment’ – achieving this is the ‘holy grail’ of MOOC design.
The MomMOOC sounds like a great idea, I wonder what acronym it might get turned into … xMOOC, cMOOC, MomMOOC … maybe one that can be done whilst doing twenty other things at the same time and can be done in three minute chunks without losing the plot!
Thanks for dropping by Ruth. Yes a MomMOOC can be done while holding the bags, shoes and half eaten food!
Hi all
The MomMOOC seems to be well on the way – and I’m glad to see that your know your target group and its particular needs and wishes 🙂 It’s a great idea.
I also very much like the idea of a MOOC for staff development. The particular aspect of being a learner using various tools for learning gives you a great insight into the possibilities and challenges and really prepares you for using the tools in your own teaching. You get the confidence needed and you get to build the enthusiasm which is equally important.