Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/161013
tal revenue from these new degree seekers to cover the costs of creating and executing the MOOC. Our cost/benefit analysis admittedly does not account for the brand awareness and reputational value that a free MOOC can generate among those who participate. It also ignores the qualitative questions regarding MOOCs. Faculty at UC and elsewhere have questioned whether MOOCs are suitable only for a certain kind of student or to deliver a certain type of content. But universities often offer large introductory lecture courses, using much smaller class sizes for higher-level learning. Perhaps MOOCs will become the next evolution of the "large lecture hall" class. Faculty also wonder whether MOOCs will change how many professors schools will need to employ or what role these professors will play in the classroom. In traditional classes, professors act as "content masters" who determine what content to teach and what pedagogies to use to meet the course's learning objectives. The more schools utilize or repurpose MOOCs created at other universities, the more some professors will become facilitators, helping students learn and apply the concepts presented in a MOOC. Perhaps one day, courses that are designed like our MOOC2Degree offering will serve as both "feeder" courses for degree programs and ways for prospective students to sample courses at schools they are considering attending. Schools could limit the number of credits students can earn via MOOCs, much as many now cap the number of transfer credits students can apply toward a degree. In the future, it's possible that MOOCs will rival third-party rankings and campus visits as ways students experience and evaluate the quality of a school's faculty, curriculum, and students. MOOCs may still be in their infancy, but I can envision a not-too-distant future in which schools use MOOCs to build their programs—and generate profits. B.J. Zirger is associate dean of online education at the University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business in Ohio. Lola & B e k/G low I mages Temple Launches First MOOC more than 4 million students have enrolled. Coursera is exploring profit-generating strategies such as offering certificates of completion to students who finish courses satisfactorily. Such certificates will be verified through its Signature Track program. All universities offering courses on Coursera will receive a share of any revenue resulting from Coursera's strategies. Coursera also plans to double its workforce, develop a suite of mobile apps for course delivery, develop collaborative online learning environments, expand its number of Signature Track courses, and increase the number of its university partners. The University of Cincinnati's Lindner School isn't the only school to offer a MOOC as a bridge to its traditional program (see "Can MOOCs Be Profitable?" above). This semester, the Fox School of Business in Philadelphia also will offer Temple University's first MOOC as part of its online MBA program. The course in quantitative methods for business will be delivered using the Blackboard learning management system. Students in the free four-week course will attend weekly classes and collaborate on group projects via WebEx. Students who complete the course requirements, including proctored exams, can earn certificates of completion or course waivers if they enroll in the Online MBA program. Fox is one of many schools delivering MOOCs over the Blackboard platform. The list of those courses is available at www.coursesites.com/ webapps/Bb-sites-coursecreation-BBLEARN/pages/ mooccatalog.html. BizEd September/October 2013 57