While MOOCs are online courses, I do not feel that they meet the requirements of the courses we have been learning to design.  I do not think they belong as a CREDIT course in the K-12 environment, but I could see them being used as an enrichment option for some of our more mature students (self-regulated learners)  who want to explore topics not offered at the high school.

After reading the three articles, I cannot imagine myself as an instructor for a MOOC.  I rely too much on the interaction with my students, both online and face-to-face.  The module I am developing depends on interactions between the students, to develop a better sense of community.  I also need the students to read all of their classmates’ responses, something that would be impossible in a MOOC.

I do have difficulty seeing MOOCs used as a credit course.  I agree more with the following quote from the “Exploring the Instructional Value and Worth of a MOOC”:

“…could utilize MOOCs for the purpose of providing useful information to very large target groups.  In essence, a MOOC would be designed as an information seminar that would allow participants benefit from learning from a field expert but with limited interactions and little-to-no assessment of their learning”.