I caught some flak on another forum for my opinion - not that it bothers me. I think this kind of learning is great - just not an MBA - or translatable into any other degree. As Jennifer said, it's perfect for those who need the knowledge but not a credential. As for something academic - I can see getting this type of learning credentialed into a certificate - but again, not a degree.
I'm all for the ways to reduce the cost of a degree - testing out, prior learning assessment (and these courses might work as PLAR, to some extent) but I'm not for creditizing a bunch of freebies into a complete degree. Some argued that there are some occupations that can be entered into without a degree (law with Bar Exam but no JD for example) and that some certificates outweigh the value of some degrees. That's all true - but a degree is awarded according to the rules that govern colleges and universities; a certificate or designation is awarded according to the rules of the organization that awards it. Degrees and certificates are always different - sometimes equivalent (eg. UK-NARIC lists an equivalency for the CFA designation) but never interchangeable.
If someone gets a job from a free MOOC-related program, great! If the learning helps them pass a certification exam - terrific. It just shouldn't result in a degree, under our current system. That would, in effect, devalue the degrees that weren't free!
The free courses can contribute towards PLAR - yes. But not the whole degree. In France they have the VAE system and a person with sufficient knowledge and skill can be awarded a complete degree from a recognized University -doesn't matter how they acquired the knowledge. Until the US and/or Canada have VAE or its equivalent, I suggest degree-seekers wanting to fully creditize free courses into a complete degree have a good command of French and surf for bargain plane-tickets.
Johann
I'm all for the ways to reduce the cost of a degree - testing out, prior learning assessment (and these courses might work as PLAR, to some extent) but I'm not for creditizing a bunch of freebies into a complete degree. Some argued that there are some occupations that can be entered into without a degree (law with Bar Exam but no JD for example) and that some certificates outweigh the value of some degrees. That's all true - but a degree is awarded according to the rules that govern colleges and universities; a certificate or designation is awarded according to the rules of the organization that awards it. Degrees and certificates are always different - sometimes equivalent (eg. UK-NARIC lists an equivalency for the CFA designation) but never interchangeable.
If someone gets a job from a free MOOC-related program, great! If the learning helps them pass a certification exam - terrific. It just shouldn't result in a degree, under our current system. That would, in effect, devalue the degrees that weren't free!
The free courses can contribute towards PLAR - yes. But not the whole degree. In France they have the VAE system and a person with sufficient knowledge and skill can be awarded a complete degree from a recognized University -doesn't matter how they acquired the knowledge. Until the US and/or Canada have VAE or its equivalent, I suggest degree-seekers wanting to fully creditize free courses into a complete degree have a good command of French and surf for bargain plane-tickets.
Johann
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