英语新词：“MOOC”代表什么？

 　　近两年，世界名校网络公开课受到热捧，各大字幕组争相出字幕，门户网站也争相购版权。一时间，追随网络公开课的人似乎都有点比别人先进一步的感觉。这些网络公开课在英语里叫Massive Open Online Course（MOOC）。

　　MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are the latest addition to the acronym-bound lexicon¹ of higher education, and quite possibly the most significant of them all. They represent a new generation of online education, freely accessible on the internet and geared towards very large student numbers.

　　MOOC（网络公开课）是高等教育相关缩写词汇中的新成员，也可能是所有词汇中最具影响力的一个。网络公开课代表网络教育的新一代，可以通过网络免费获取，接收到学生数目巨大。

　　The phenomenon has been likened by the president of Stanford University to "a digital tsunami²", threatening to sweep aside conventional university education. Whether or not the rise of MOOCs will prove to warrant such hyperbole, there is no doubt that something very important is happening in the global system, raising profound questions about the very nature and future of higher education.

　　这一现象被斯坦福大学的校长比作“一场数字海啸”，称有可能将传统大学教育全部“冲走”。不论网络公开课的崛起是否真的会达到如此夸张的阶段，有一点可以肯定的是全球体系内正在发生一些重要的事情，并引发了对高等教育本质和将来的一些疑问。

　　At this early stage of the MOOC revolution, it is premature³ to predict the impacts on conventional higher education providers. The universities and private venture funds investing in this area openly acknowledge the high level of experimentation⁴ and testing of waters involved. The current MOOC offerings are mostly digital versions of conventional pedagogies – what blogger Dan Butin has called "Learning 1.0 products in a Web 2.0 world".

　　在网络公开课发展的早期阶段，预言其对高等教育提供者的影响还为时尚早。投资该领域的高校和私人风险基金均空开表示其投资行为只是实验性质，纯属试水之举。目前网络公开课提供的课程大部分都是传统课堂教学过程的数字版本，博客作家丹?布汀将其称为“在web2.0的世界学习1.0的产品”。

　　This can and will change through the incorporation⁵ of the kinds of user interactivity⁶ already well-established in social media technologies. There is no inherent reason why MOOC-acquired learning cannot be accredited⁷ and recognized, especially as the market for degree-awarding powers opens up, subject perhaps to appropriate quality assurance arrangements.

　　这些状况都会随着社交媒体技术带来的用户互动行为而发生改变。通过网络公开课获取的知识没有理由不被认可，尤其是在确保质量的前提下，学位授予机构的市场已经开放。

 

1 lexicon   

n.字典，专门词汇

参考例句：

• Chocolate equals sin in most people's lexicon.巧克力在大多数人的字典里等同于罪恶。
• Silent earthquakes are only just beginning to enter the public lexicon.无声地震才刚开始要成为众所周知的语汇。

2 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

3 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

4 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

5 incorporation   

n.设立，合并，法人组织

参考例句：

• The incorporation of air bubbles in the glass spoiled it.玻璃含有气泡，使它质量降低。
• The company will be retooled after the incorporation.合并之后的公司要进行重组。

6 interactivity   

相互作用

参考例句：

• You can just sit and watch it, but it also had interactivity. 你仅仅能坐着并且看它，但是它也有了互动性。 来自互联网
• The teachers can employ various forms to carry out teaching interactivity. 导学课进行教学互动，可以采用多种形式。 来自互联网

7 accredited   

adj.可接受的；可信任的；公认的；质量合格的v.相信( accredit的过去式和过去分词 )；委托；委任；把…归结于

参考例句：

• The discovery of distillation is usually accredited to the Arabs of the 11th century. 通常认为，蒸馏法是阿拉伯人在11世纪发明的。
• Only accredited journalists were allowed entry. 只有正式认可的记者才获准入内。