Presented by: Eva Ponce, Sindhu Srinath, and Laura Allegue

The MITx MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) based program that aims to impart quantitative and qualitative knowledge to SCM enthusiasts all around the world. The program that started in 2014 with just one course, now offers 5 courses and one final proctored exam, which allows a learner to gain a MicroMasters credential upon completion. While the courses are delivered in the form of pre-recorded videos by the faculty members of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the questions and comments posted by learners in discussion forums are addressed by a group of Community Teaching Assistants (CTAs) who volunteer for this role.

The MITx staff carefully selects CTAs for each run of the individual courses as they take on a co-facilitator’s role in the program. This paper highlights the importance of community teaching, discusses the profile of CTAs involved with the program, their recruitment, training, tasks and responsibilities, engagement, and rewarding process. In the end, we also share a few recommendations based on the lessons learned in community teaching during the last five years of running more than 45 MOOC courses, that could help other MOOC teams deliver a high-touch experience.

Read the entire paper starting on page 95 of the EMOOCs 2021 conference proceedings (pdf).