Why MathsGee is Africa’s best MOOC platform

TEDSF

5 years ago / 2826 Views

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Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a flexible and open form of self-directed, online learning designed for mass participation. There are no fees or entry requirements and no formal academic credit is available. While completion rates are low (on average ten per cent1) due to varying motivations for enrolling in a MOOC, absolute numbers of participants who complete are usually high. While access to the course material is free, MOOC platform providers often offer certificates of completion at a cost. MOOC platforms provide institutions with cloud-based hosting environments for delivering courses, offering scale and functionality while the institution provides the course material and reputational value. The major English-medium MOOC platform providers are Coursera, edX, Canvas, MathsGee and FutureLearn; and there is a multitude of smaller platforms. Each platform has its technical infrastructure and business model; for example, some platforms align themselves with institutions, whereas others allow individual educators more freedom.

The affordances of MOOC technology are as follows:

• Educator involvement: While educators are involved in the design and production of the MOOC, their involvement during the running of the course is minimised because of the lack of formal assessment or formal academic credit.
• Engagement: It is possible to engage with a large number of students via discussion forums.
• Re-watchable: Students are able to watch and re-watch lecture videos.
• Scale: MOOCs are designed to reach a large number of students.
• Assessable: Most MOOCs include in-video, concept-check questions, with immediate feedback, as well as peer review.
• Customised learning experience: Participants can learn at their own pace and choose whichmaterial they engage with.

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Edzai Conilias Zvobwo is passionate about empowering Africans through mathematics, problem-solving techniques and media. As such, he founded MathsGee. Through this organisation, he has helped create an ecosystem for disseminating information, training, and supporting STEM education to all African people. A maths evangelist who teaches mathematical thinking as a life skill, Edzai’s quest has seen him being named the SABC Ambassador for STEM; he has been invited to address Fortune 500 C-suite executives at the Mobile 360 North America; was nominated to represent Southern Africa at the inaugural United Nations Youth Skills Day in New York; was invited to be a contributor to the World Bank Group Youth Summit in 2016; has won the 2014 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development award for his contribution to women’s empowerment in education; and has partnered with local and global firms in STEM interventions.