MOOC Project Considerations

The below MOOC Project Considerations were developed by Annalise Mathers, Jessica Arias, Andrea Adamic and Kathy Vu, through the development of two MOOCs hosted on edX. These MOOCs were also supported through the Open Course Initiative Fund (OCIF) and the Digital Learning Innovation team at the University of Toronto. The MOOCs are offered individually or as a Professional Certificate. Visit Originator and Biosimilar Biologics: For Patients and Healthcare Providers.
As the MOOC development progressed, the team saw the value in capturing the insights and lessons learned. Documenting these experiences helped the team reflect on the project’s success and created a resource that may be useful for other higher education institutions developing complex, multi-stakeholder, online educational programs in the health sciences. The team would like to acknowledge that every program is different, and so these lessons should be adapted to fit the specific context and goals of future programs.  
Read the executive summary of Lessons Learned from the Development of Two Massive Open Online Courses for Patients and Healthcare Providers on Biosimilar Medications and you can download the full report as well.

Executive Summary

Context: While Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have expanded access to flexible and scalable education globally, higher education institutions face significant barriers in developing and sustaining them, including high costs, limited expertise, and challenges with implementation and accreditation. These issues are particularly pronounced in the health sciences, where jurisdictional differences, complexity of content, and evolving knowledge needs limit adoption. At the same time, there is a critical gap in accessible, evidence-based education on emerging topics such as biosimilar medications, despite the growing demand from healthcare providers, patients, and the public for reliable information.

Solution: Two MOOCs on biosimilar medications were developed at the University of Toronto in Canada and hosted on the edX platform. We captured the lessons learned from the development of the MOOCs through a quality improvement process, specifically a lessons learned document guided by project management principles that was supplemented by insights from an anonymous survey with project stakeholders. We identified 43 lessons learned across 9 major categories, emphasizing clear communication, expertise in assessment development, and the need for sustainable budget allocation.

Value: MOOCs offer innovative opportunities to deliver education to learners around the world, however robust project management practices are needed to effectively manage timelines and meet milestones. These 43 lessons learned may help individuals developing MOOCs in healthcare to create efficient, effective, and sustainable educational programs.

MATERIAL RESOURCING

  • Establish best practices for remote filming production
  • Provide filming equipment (light, mic, webcam) to developers
  • Provide filming support and oversight of content developers

HUMAN RESOURCING

  • Consider an Instructional Design Specialist (part-time)
  • Connect with individuals/groups who have developed MOOCs
  • Leverage edX partner support for templates and communication channels
  • Identify dedicated support staff to build content and assist with administrative tasks

MANAGEMENT

  • Develop a proactive, robust communication plan with stakeholders
  • Plan for attrition of developers and committee members
  • Ensure diversity with content developers (multidisciplinary approach)
  • Develop stakeholder lists and leverage input throughout the project (promotion)

ACCREDITATION

  • Maintain strong relationships with accreditation bodies
  • Leverage Advisory Committee members to support the accreditation process
  • Ensure a strong understanding of accreditation requirements
  • Establish a robust internal review process to facilitate a smooth accreditation review

BETA TESTING

  • Develop a plan for beta testing as a key component of user experience
  • Understand the MOOC provider’s process for beta testing
  • Develop a clear review package for beta testers to expedite feedback process

COPYRIGHT

  • Engage copyright specialist to ensure courses are respectful of copyright and Creative Commons licensing rules
  • Establish clear guidelines regarding credits for texts, images, etc.

BUDGET

  • Allocate funds for the sustainability of programming (i.e. staff, accreditation cost)
  • Have provisions in place for in-kind support where possible
  • Explore additional funding opportunities (public and private sectors)

COMMUNICATIONS

  • Engage Communications teams early for timelines, assets and distribution networks
  • Develop a communications plan to inform potential users of the MOOC (outreach)

EXTERNAL

  • Identify potential policy changes before, during, and after launch and their impact on the course programming
  • Hire consultants with the requisite expertise/experience vs volunteers, if possible
  • Build in contingencies for external factors: developing content during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging given that many Advisory Committee members and content developers were also front-line healthcare workers