What are SPOCs?
Small Private Online Courses (SPOC) were created to fill the gaps Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) were leaving in education. While an MOOC provides content to a nearly unlimited number of students, an SPOC concentrates on a fixed group of students. SPOCs facilitate more effective communication between peers as well as between teachers and students.
SPOCs in education
The main advantages SPOCs offer in education are related to the relationship between students and teachers. In an SPOC, feedback is more detailed and frequent, because the student has constant and direct communication with the teacher and other classmates. This connection creates an atmosphere where students and teachers feel more connected, making for an environment with more trust and comfort between participants.
In addition, SPOCs help facilitate flipped classrooms and blended learning, two learning methods that combine face to face interaction with online learning.