Developing Critical Perspectives on Technology in Education: A Tool for MOOC Evaluation

Abstract

The Laboratory for experimental pedagogy (LPS) based at the Department ofEducation – Roma Tre University has been working, since 2010, on research focusing on the enhancement of students’ critical thinking skills to foster the development and promotion of the critical use of technology in education. Aseries of departmental projects, coordinated by LPS researchers, have beenfunded from 2011 to achieve these aims (Poce et al., 2011, 2012, 2014). Theprojects use specific models and coordinated approaches to teaching andlearning across a range of disciplines. Students are invited to engage inlearning activities, which involve analysis and reflection, individually and ingroups, taking into considerations the differences in learning, according to thespecific situation. Students work on the different tasks focusing on theidentification of cultural and disciplinary contexts, within the lectio magistralisframework: 1. Distinctio – Presentation of the context; 2. Divisio textus –Analysis of the text; 3. Collatio – Discussion; 4. Quaestio – Criticalinterpretation. The same analytical method is used on a variety of texts,including Descartes and Rousseau, working online on a dedicated platform.The same technique has then been applied to studying other disciplinary subjects and concepts accessing MOOCs, as described in the presentcontribution. Students are asked to evaluate the effectiveness of a massiveopen online course (MOOC) through their experience of learning online asoutlined above.