Are we just guinea pigs?
Daphne Koller is enticing top universities to put their most intriguing courses online for free — not just as a service, but as a way to research how people learn. With Coursera (cofounded by Andrew Ng), each keystroke, quiz, peer-to-peer discussion and self-graded assignment builds an unprecedented pool of data on how knowledge is processed #mscedc
In Marshall’s paper he proposes the “ethical issues with MOOCs as the monetisation strategies of the various providers are developed” (Marshall 2014, p.256). Whether commercial or research based, consent and ownership of students work raises complication in how the data is processed, thus, in turn can cause limitations and constraints on validity. Marshall (2014) also cites Burman and Kleinsasser (2004) on the conflicting loyalties between the teacher role, researcher role, the research process, the institute and the learning of the students.
References:
Stephen Marshal (2014) Exploring the ethical implications of MOOCs, Distance Education, 35:2, 250-262, DOI: 10.1080/01587919.2014.917706
Burman, M. E., & Kleinsasser, A. M. (2004). Ethical Guidelines for Use of Student Work: Moving from Teaching’s Invisibility to Inquiry’s Visibility in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The Journal of General Education, 53, 59-79.