Weren’t Able to Make It ALA MW 2014? Watch the OCLC Symposium: The Hope and Hype of MOOCs Videos!

Accessibility and the cost of education are on everyone's minds - administrators, faculty and librarians, politicians and parents. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) seem to offer a lifeline to schools and communities seeking to reinvent education and lifelong learning. But the conversation about MOOCs is complex and evolving. New partnerships are being formed to deliver tools and curriculum. New business models are emerging. Questions about accreditation and measurement abound. Do MOOCs represent a sea change for both public and academic libraries? Or just a new twist on distance learning? Join OCLC at the ALA Midwinter Symposium for a debate among MOOC practitioners, promoters and skeptics. This symposium was part of OCLC's Collective Insight event series.

This debate was moderated by Skip Prichard and the symposium speakers included:

• Bryan Alexander, author of The New Digital Storytelling, an editor of the Horizon Report and a frequent writer/speaker on digital technology in education;
• Anya Kamenetz, a contributing writer for Fast Company, the Digital/Edu blogger for the Hechinger Report, and author of Generation Debt (2006), DIY U (2010) and the forthcoming The Test (2015);
• Ray Schroeder, Professor Emeritus and Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning at the University of Illinois at Springfield, and Director of the Center for Online Leadership and Strategy at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA);
• Audrey Watters, a technology journalist and founder of Hack Education;
• Cathy De Rosa, OCLC Vice President for the Americas and Global Vice President of Marketing.

View video highlights from the symposium here.