[LINK] MOOCs

[Roger Clarke]

At 12:17 PM +1000 29/9/13, Jan Whitaker wrote:
>This may be cultural and possibly gender influenced. What is
>'average'?

I was meaning in the sense of attendances at lectures typically being 
half (or less) of the unit enrolment.  Early lectures in a sequence 
and the last lecture seemed to be more, and seem to be more these day 
as as well.

Aside:  In addition to the 40-50% participation-rates in lectures, 
it's necessary to check the extent to which candidates download 
lecture-supporting materials (typically slide-sets), and stream the 
recorded lectures.

I don't monitor this systematically (I'm a casual lecturer, maybe in 
both senses);  but I've been surprised at how many times recorded 
lectures are utilised, compared with the unit's enrolment. 
Personally, I was never that diligent - although the work involved in 
going to the library and getting out and running old-fashioned media 
was far greater than it is now.


>Back in the 60s, most likely male, even in Australia.

True.  Maybe 70-30 in accountancy/ecs?
        More-so in comp sci and even info sys, back then.
        (I did a Psych unit, and was amazed at the reverse imbalance
        I remember thinking: 'All that talent going to waste!').

These days, even in Comp Sci (my only recent experience), it's a lot 
closer towards balanced than it was.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 2 6288 6916                        http://about.me/roger.clarke
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Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University