ENCODE4OpenU and the Preparation and Delivery of an International Collaborative MOOC: A Preliminary Analysis of its Pedagogical and Technical Implementation

Among the potential intellectual outputs of the ENCODE project is the production of a MOOC that introduces teaching staff and scientific experts to the digital transition in the field of ancient writing cultures. The basis for this MOOC is the need to foster awareness of the importance of digital competences and to use a structured framework to introduce people to the available innovative teaching and learning materials and opportunities for organizing (self-)training in this field of research. For specialists in the humanities, there is often an unexpected reluctance to go beyond simply using digital tools and to deepen their understanding of the implications of the digital transitions of research fields, as well as considering the readiness of young graduates to acquire digital competences. This MOOC, which is easily accessible, affordable, sustainable, and flexible, may achieve the initial aim of the project, namely, bridging the gap between the highly specialized competences in the humanities and the innovative digital skills needed in open science practices. The main methodological issue concerns the design and adaptation of cooperative tools in order to implement a common pedagogical approach and to produce MOOC content that integrates the different competences and insights of the project participants. This report on the experiment provides useful insights into the differing expectations of academic staff as content producers, issues surrounding MOOC-cooperative design between universities in different countries, the usability of the tested platform and of the different features provided, and sustainability, as guaranteed through the connection with digital infrastructures. In the concluding section, the originality of the MOOC at a more general scale is emphasized. The ways in which the MOOC can facilitate and support the digital transition are assessed according to the FAIR principles in Higher Education Institutions. Moreover, the MOOC offers models for hands-on experiences of digital training and the evaluation of learning outcomes according to shared European frameworks; it demonstrates the importance of being connected with larger projects and digital infrastructures.