The massive open online course or known as MOOC is now the trend in education, not only for young students but also for our not so young people. To bring you some insight, I have here an interview with a mooc camp leader in the Philippines, none other than Ms. Alyanna Mae Lazaro Capiral!
- As a leader of a mooc camp, what are the challenges one has to face on a personal and managerial level?
In the beginning, it was quite difficult to be the leader of the teachers, since these teachers already have their own personalities and careers, but after a few courses, it became very easy. From the administrative point of view, there is a member who got angry with me because he could fulfill a requirement, which is a video of 1, instead of attending a general meeting in one of the previous courses. The financial aspect is also a challenge, since I had been doing things for my camp for free, for example, I had to place an order and claim MOOC T-shirt orders in Quezon City or Manila — the cost and effort of ” transposition”, especially from the supplier most of the time does not follow the agreed time for the collection and I had to wait for hours.
- How did you overcome those challenges? And what learning experiences have been gained, so far, from such?
I just do my best to run the camp and be professional, understanding, and motivating for my members. I improved a lot when it comes to social skills, communication skills and interpersonal skills.
- How long have you been mooing? What are the courses you have taken so far?
I started doing MOOCs in July 2018. I took the following courses:
English for Professional Development, Moving the Margins: Fiction and Inclusion, Professional Development for Teacher Educators, English for Media Literacy, Content-Based Instruction, and Teaching Grammar Communicatively.
- When running a camp, what are the qualities one must have to ensure a high turnover of completers?
Actually, it is no longer up to the camp leader but up to the camp members whether they really want to finish the course or not. In my experience, those who are motivated and not just looking for the certificate, but rather real learning and professional growth, complete the course.
Perhaps because of his qualities, a MOOC camp leader must be passionate and a real worker, which means that he must see that you really like MOOC and help others too.
- In the event of a scheduling conflict between you and the group or each other, how do you handle laziness and half-hearted attitudes from some, if any?
As I said in issue 1, there was one MOOCer who really gave me a hard time because of her attitude. For some members, I usually plan ahead and ask when would be the best time to hold the general meeting and outreach. I suggest a specific date and time, then we agree. As for attitude, I removed MOOC users in our group chat if they didn’t answer my queries or didn’t recognize my ads after a week of “seeing” them. I even tag them in group chats to make sure they read the information.
- Looking back, have there been cases of people not completing? And how did you handle the situation?
My camp is actually made up of people from different schools and areas in Bulacan. There are people who didn’t complete, but that would be about 20 percent of those who intended to sign up. They are usually what I call “referral strangers” meaning no one knows them personally from my group and they actually joined because of the MOOC Camp PH Facebook page. If personally, I know you or we have a mutual friend, I will try to help address your concerns, especially in the middle of the week of the course, by the second week I usually have an idea who will finish the course or not, then I will confirm it before the scope .
- From a professional point of view, how has the mooc journey been for you? To elaborate.
Professionally, I put research enthusiasts like myself. They have been my inspiration to help others become better teachers. Most of our group leaders hold important positions in their provinces or schools. Also, most of us are completing our master’s degrees if we don’t already have their Ph.D.’s. That’s how competent MOOC leaders are. I had been invited to judge college competitions and speak at some of my members’ schools. Thanks to our MOOC father, Professor Mabuan, who shared the call for papers for an international research conference in Taiwan, I was able to submit a research abstract titled “A Morphological and Syntactic Analysis of Gen Z Words as Used Filipino students. and fortunately said work was accepted at the conference. I was also able to share my article on How to Contextualize Postmodernism in the SHS class that I presented at Philippine Normal University during the National Literature Conference in October 2018 to a larger group that had 150-200 participants during one of the MOOCs. . . More than professionally, I gained friends and family at MOOC Camp PH.
- Besides mooing, what other things have you been busy with?
I am busy with my thesis on my Master of Arts in Education in Literature. I am teaching the subject Purposeful Communication at the Tertiary level. I also host events for Young Living-Philippines under the Mayo Makemasters team that promotes a healthier, toxin-free lifestyle through the help of essential oils and other products. I’m busy looking for more academic conferences lol! I am busy planning my trips and traveling too.
- Would you recommend mooing to other people around?
Yes! But only for people who really want to learn. MOOCing is not for everyone as it requires dedication, time and love to learn and love for others. It follows my Alma Matter’s motto “Truth, Service and Excellence” which is very PNU.
10 One word to describe Alyanna Mae Lázaro Capiral.
Passionate.
True indeed.
So there you have it. Direct and honest exchange of her experiences as a moocer as well as being a mooc camp leader herself. Thank you Miss Alyanna!
Ma. Alyanna Mae L. Capiral, LPT earned a dual degree in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Secondary Education in Literature from Philippine Normal University. She is a thesis candidate for the Master of Arts in Education in Literature from the same university. In addition, she followed Certificate courses sponsored by the United States Department of State.
Since 2015, she has been affiliated with Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila as a part-time lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, where she handled other responsibilities such as textbook evaluator, thesis advisor and editor. She also presented papers at local and international conferences.
It has been teaching different subjects in the Higher Secondary School since its initial implementation. She serves as the Massive Open Online Course Leader for Camp Bulacan at the Manila English Language Regional Office.
She is a simple lady with humble origins from Obando, Bulacan.