| A gap exists between the traditional paradigm of higher education and the new paradigm of massive, open, online courses (MOOCs). As higher education institutions seek to adapt MOOCs to become credit-bearing courses, a model(s) for MOOC student authentication, assessment, verification, and revenue generation must be created in accordance with requisites of accreditation. Explained by Disruptive Innovation theory, MOOCs took root initially in simple applications at the bottom of the market, but have relentlessly moved up market, threatening to displace established higher education paradigms. The purpose of this study was to explore the adaptation measures required to integrate MOOCs into credit-bearing higher education. Research questions that guided the study were:;RQ1. What factors characterize successful pedagogical, revenue generation, and credit-bearing integration of MOOCs into the existing paradigms of one Research-1 university? RQ2. How can higher education adapt and integrate MOOCs into existing paradigms while maintaining requisites of accreditation? RQ3. How, and to what extent are MOOCs deconstructing higher education, and how and to what extent is higher education symbiotically deconstructing MOOCs?;A case study was conducted of a Research-1, public institution offering a 100% MOOC platform, graduate degree. Methods of data collection included document analysis of public records, personal documents, artifacts, and semi-structured personal interviews.;The results revealed a triangular partnership between the Research-1 public institution, a corporate fonder vested in creating a supply-line of qualified future employees, and a MOOC provider of software facilitation, course creation assistance, and domain expertise. Deconstruction of existing paradigms is contingent upon a variety of factors and differs significantly per paradigm.;Recommendations for further study include policy creation, human subject protection rights and legal compliance, massive scaling of assessment models, higher education credentialing alternatives, automation versus human interaction, and student services in the MOOC context. Educational research requiring controlled experiments faces a particular methodological challenge due to the openness and the Internet delivery mode, therefore disruption to educational testing methods renders it ripe for further research. |
