In another MOOC I participated in, the first week’s “assignment” was a solo task. The second week’s assignment was a small group project, where the groups were assembled algorithmically. This did not seem to work very well, as the pool of potential participants in a MOOC represents a spectrum of activity levels. It really was the luck of the draw, to see if one was partnered with some active participants. The following week, we were to form into small groups based on interests and project ideas. Self-identifying groups came together much more easily, as the active MOOCers were already engaged and looking for groups to form.
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