Chinese English Teachers' Perspectives on "Distributed Flip MOOC Blends": From BMELTT to BMELTE

Abstract

This article reports on a study involving experienced university lecturers from mainland China reflecting on how to blend FutureLearn MOOCs into their existing English Language Teaching (ELT) curricula while on an ‘upskilling' teacher education summer course in the UK in academic year 2016-2017. Linked to a British Council ELTRA (English Language Teaching Research Award) project, the study involved: a. the administration of a pre-MOOC survey relating to teachers' beliefs towards online learning in general and MOOCs in particular; b. ‘learning by doing': taking part in a FutureLearn MOOC; c. reflecting on the experience both face-to-face in workshops, in online forums and in a post-MOOC survey. The outcomes of this article highlight that the understanding of what a MOOC is might differ between the UK and China. The article concludes by presenting the perceived pros and cons of adopting a ‘distributed flip MOOC blend' as previously discussed in related work.