Maha Bali

What makes a cMOOC community endure? Multiple participant perspectives from diverse cMOOCs

Imagine the challenge of being immersed in a dynamic learning network where you play brinkmanship with being overwhelmed by a plethora of information, comments, and conversations on a topic of intense interest to you. Through adept facilitation, the comments and encouragement of fellow participants, and your own perseverance, you develop a network of personal connections which serve as metaphorical flying buttresses creating enough stability that you are able to learn in a new, yet profoundly meaningful way – the connectivist massive open online course (cMOOC) way. Through the lens of autoethnography, five seasoned educators collaboratively reflect on their motivation for participating in their initial cMOOC. They analyze their lived experience, what they found most engaging, and most importantly, they grapple with why cMOOC communities often endure past official end-dates. This article attempts to provide insight into the thrill and depth of learning and connection possible through participation in cMOOCs.

A new scholar's perspective on open peer review

This article argues that the pedagogical and scholarly benefits of open peer review far outweigh those of traditional double-blind peer review, but require a shift in our perspective of the function and value of peer review – from a gate-keeping process, toward a supportive, constructive process of collaboration between peers and mentors.

Critical Thinking through a Multicultural Lens: Cultural Challenges of Teaching Critical Thinking

When I first started doing research about critical thinking (CT), I had not realized how contested a notion (Atkinson 1997) it was, even though it is widely accepted as an important goal of (at least Western) higher education (Barnett 1997; Norris 1995). Most people agree that critical thinking is essential for citizens to participate actively in a democracy (Brookfield 1987; Johnson and Morris 2010; ten Dam and Volman 2004). There is also a need for citizens to criticize the systems and hierarchies in which they live, whether academic or corporate, whether in a democratic state or not, questioning and challenging even the structures within which we conduct critical thinking. Some scholars claim that critical thinking is culturally biased (e.g., Atkinson 1997; Fox 1994; Norris 1995), which is a view I initially dismissed, because the ideas and practices of CT exist in my own Egyptian Islamic culture. Some scholars argue that viewing critical thinking as distant from non-Anglo (i.e., non-English speaking) cultures is a symptom of misunderstandings (Ennis 1998), and even ignorance of, and condescension toward non-Westerners’ capacities for rational thinking (Nussbaum 1997). Claims of cultural distance or difference are often presented under the guise of cultural sensitivity, while hiding reductionist and deficit-oriented tendencies (Zamel 1997).

Redesigning Introductory Economics

Does computer-mediation enhance student performance or student interest in the learning process? In this paper we present the somewhat tentative results of an experiment carried out in teaching/learning methodology and pedagogy. The goal of the experiment was to examine, compare and elicit results to identify the differences, if any, in learning outcomes between two classes. One class was taught using computer-mediated technologies in conjunction with“active”learning pedagogical principles; and the other class was taught by the same instructor with identical course syllabi and textbook, but using a more conventional approach of lectures and tests to achieve learning.