An experience for life! (by Carlos Fujita)

As a novice doctoral student in UC3M, I was presented the opportunity to offer myself as a volunteer in helping to organize EMOOCS 2017.

The idea seemed interesting: I had been interested in MOOCs before, even have completed a few, and participating in the event would grant me a few credits, that I needed to complete my doctoral studies. There was nothing to lose, it seemed.

Nonetheless, I must confess that I did not have high expectations as to what I would live in terms of personal experience. I hoped that I would be able to have a glance at some of the speeches, debates and workshops, but it seemed that, primarily, it would be work.

Boy, was I mistaken!

Let me try to summarize the great experience that participating in EMOOCS 2017 was. I hope not to leave anything out:

One of the first things that I realized, even before the event started, is how passionate the UC3M staff was about the organization of the event itself. Eva, Rosa and Raul, to name just the ones more in the “front line” seemed very excited about the event, and – to me, at least – the excitement was such as to be contagious. It was clear that something big was taking place.

Then came the event itself. How surprised was I to find out that there were so many great people heavily involved in studying MOOCs and striving to continuously improving the experience not only of the students, but also of those who are somehow involved in their design and production. How all those people were not intimated in the least by the huge challenges posed by the current limitations of MOOCs, and how enthusiastic were all of them with the future of this educational instrument! It was a joy to be there and to share their experiences, and know their expectations for the future of MOOCs.

All of this was coupled with the perception that everyone involved from the UC3M side was clearly determined in offering the participants the best possible experience. How impressed I was with the commitment of everyone involved, both from the staff and from the volunteer team!

And at the end of each day, everyone realized that everything (well, almost everything, for nothing can be perfect) had gone well, despite of all the unforeseeable things that always take place in an event of this magnitude. It is really hard to describe the feeling of seeing the joy of the staff when all the hard work progressively resulted in the success of the event – and the feeling of being a part, albeit small, of this success. It is rewarding beyond any academic credit that one can get by taking part in such an endeavor!

Last, but not least, there is the content itself. I was unexpectedly able to participate in most of the events that interested me the most. I could even take part in a workshop where people from all over the world were debating the best practices of design when conceiving a MOOC. As someone who has some experience as a Professor, and who wants to develop a solid career in the academy, I cannot possibly start to measure the value of this experience in a personal and professional perspective.

In the end, the academic credits seemed almost unimportant compared to the other tangible effects of participating: I made new friends; I felt a deep sense of belonging; my appreciation for UC3M as a fantastic institution grew even bigger than it already was; I developed a better sense of what is going on in the University apart from the regular classes; and last, but not least, I left with the strong conviction that I will not rest until I get involved in the production of a MOOC. Not bad for a 25-hour volunteer experience!