Research On MOOC Construction For Confucius Institute

To popularize Chinese, spread Chinese culture, and enhance exchange with other countries and the further understanding of China, Confucius Institutes were established across the world. Accompanied by rapid rising of demand for learning Chinese, and a Chinese fever, there are great differences of learning interests and learning motivation of different learners. With the tendency of diversification towards motivations, purposes, environments of learning Chinese, the Chinese teaching and culture spreading of Confucius Institutes need to change, new methods and strategies are in demand to improve the operating mechanism. How to spread Chinese within the shortest time, with the quickest speed and the most efficient ways have become the most critical concern for those leaders and practitioners in international promotion of Chinese.It is difficult for Confucius Institutes to become a global teaching institute solely depending on campus education and small-class teaching model. Since 2012, Massive Open Online Course, MOOC for short, a large scale open network online course has received much concern globally. Besides, its openness and fragmentation of teaching contents are similar to the broadness and disunity of teaching models of Confucius Institutes. Thus, the new development of Confucius Institutes education model can be improved by virtue of the development of MOOC and it is valuable to focus the relevant researches of Confucius Institutes MOOC.As MOOC development is maturing gradually, the research mainly targets MOOC design of Confucius Institutes. The research is divided into 7 parts, with concrete content of each chapter as follows:Chapter 1. General introduction. It mainly introduces the research background, significance, problems, techniques, objects and innovation and shortcomings. This chapter provides an overview of Confucius Institutes and MOOC. The research will focus on the current problems of Confucius Institutes combining MOOC features and advantages together, finding the value of putting Confucius Institutes and MOOC together.Chapter 2. The theoretical base of the construction in Confucius Institutes MOOC. This study tailors the MOOC for Confucius Institutes based on the Taylor's curriculum theories. During the designing process, teaching theories like immersion education and individualized learning are included and theoretical technologies are applied to conduct the comments on online teaching. The construction of Confucius Institutes MOOC is based on the connectivism and behaviourism to build a more integrated curriculum system.Chapter 3. Investigation of characteristics of Confucius Institutes and MOOC. This chapter mainly discusses the new opportunities for Confucius Institutes brought by MOOC technology. Firstly, it analyses the status quo of Confucius Institutes and its online classrooms. Lastly, it discusses the relevance, the significance and the values of combination of MOOC and Confucius Institutes.Chapter 4. Construction of system of Confucius Institutes. It is built according to the analysis of learners learning demand in Confucius Institutes, its nature, mixed with features of MOOC, knowledge hierarchy of Confucius Institutes MOOC, curriculum hierarchy, curriculum quality system and education management system.Chapter 5. Design of MOOC of Confucius Institutes. In terms of the basic steps of course management and development, this chapter shows the whole procedure of exploration and design in teaching concepts, purposes, principles, contents, teaching models and course design.Chapter 6. MOOC application of Confucius Institutes. Based on the above construction and design, a Chinese character class was designed and applied in American Confucius Institutes, adapting the teaching method of mixture study. It is proved that this class is effective. What's more, the suggestions for challenges and development in the application of Confucius Institutes MOOC.Chapter 7. As a summary of MOOC design of Confucius Institutes, this chapter analyzes the innovation points and insufficiencies of the paper, and further plans research direction and focus in future.The targeted learners of Confucius Institutes MOOC is foreign Chinese learners, and the contents they learned are not only the application of Chinese language, but Chinese culture spreading. Thus, there are requirements for public teaching resources, interactions between teachers and students and ways of commenting when construct and design this MOOC system. Apart from that, in order to realize the generalization and individualization of MOOC, basic class, featured class and extended class are all needed to show its specialization overseas. Additionally, the scale nature of Confucius Institutes, it is necessary to establish a management and security system, making sure its smooth operation overseas. The successful practice and application of Chinese character MOOC manifest that this teaching method is welcomed by Chinese teachers and foreign learners, but need further exploration and expansion.