B．Courses developed by introducing universities or famous professors from home and abroad. The guest university is in charge of the lecturers and course development team, and the OUC sends persons responsible for course extension. It also sends tutors to participate in learner support during the course of teaching and to give technological support to the platform. At the beginning of course development, an agreement is signed by both parties to clarify division of work and obligations, input, profit distribution, intellectual property, etc. The course development follows the OUC's MOOC platform standard. The course development process is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Flow Chart of Cooperative Operation Mode
C. Providing universities with platform service. Courses developed by universities at home and abroad or by famous professors are introduced to the platform. The course team is in the charge of its affiliated university, and the OUC provides technological support to the course platform. Both parties sign an agreement to introduce the courses, clarifying such items as input and profit distribution. Some parts can be adjusted slightly in implementation. For example, the OUC teachers can serve as tutors in case of deficient tutors from the university. The course development process is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 Flow Chart of Course Introduction Operation Mode
2. Credit bank connection for sustainable development mode
The features of a bank are borrowed for simulation in the credit bank. Credits are taken as measurement units to achieve unified accreditation and calculation. It is a new type of learning system and education management system with the functions of credit standardization, credit accumulation, credit transfer, credit retrieval, and credit conversion. The credit bank links a great deal of data from various sources, such as learning account, learning process, examination and assessment, and certificate issuance. Therefore, the connectivity of the credit bank with the platform must be made to realize service networking and process interconnection of data.
When learning on the OUC MOOC platform, the learners have their personal information, learning process, academic records, learning results, and certificates recorded in the credit bank. After finishing taking a course and passing its examination, learners earn corresponding medals or "credits". They can then apply to the credit bank for accreditation and deposit their learning "credits" in the credit bank. The MOOC platform can also offer the students constructive feedback through the students’ learning records in the credit bank, and take the initiative to push some follow-up courses for the students to choose. Meanwhile, possible employers can have a look at a student’s credit bank account and his academic records on the MOOC platform, with the student's approval, while searching for a job, providing human resources information for potential employers.
With the connection between the credit bank and the MOOC platform, academic progress of the students on the MOOC platform can be recorded in the credit bank for accumulation and conversion. This is of great significance in improving the influence of the MOOC platform, and broader space provided for the popularization of the credit bank can better serve the sustainable development of the MOOC platform and credit bank.
III. Problems and difficulties calling for attention in the OUC's MOOC platform development
1. Improving learner support in courses. The course teams of the existing major MOOC platforms usually have less than 10 people. Priority is given to course development, but learner support during the course of learning is lacking. It’s difficult to achieve learning goals by relying solely on collaboration and communication among the learners. During the process of course study, the OUC's MOOC platform can bring the OUC tutorship team into play, offering learning support to strengthen long-term retention and to reduce the dropout rate to some extent.
2. Complete learning accreditation system and learning conversion rules must be created to realize the organic link between the MOOC platform and the credit bank. Support also needs to be given to policies and systems that will allow the credits earned by the learners to be recognized by other universities and to have their certificates universally recognized.
3. Sustainable development strategies are to be made to explore a profit mode. At the beginning of platform construction, a great number of human, financial, and material resources must be invested. Considerations can be given to developing partnerships rapidly by making good use of the existing infrastructure, such as platform, course, and network conditions. With gradual operation, profit mode and development strategy are to be studied in order to adjust investment orientation and strive to create a recognizable brand.
By Shen Juan,the OUC