MOOC Model for Workforce Development in the High Demand Labor Industry of Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were first developed to leverage scalability in the online delivery of content to reach broad and diverse groups of learners. The MOOC concept is still rapidly evolving, as public and private institutions experiment with ways to strike a balance between costs and benefits for involved stakeholders. And while all institutions of higher learning have been watching MOOC development with keen interest, relatively few community colleges have been able to make a connection between their community- focused/workforce development missions and this online learning format. SUNY Broome Community College’s proposed project, therefore, is expected to be of interest particularly to other community colleges as its purpose is to develop a MOOC model for workforce development in the high demand occupations of Home Health Aides and Personal Care Aides. The model will be designed to offer online, easy access to Home Health Aide/Personal Care Aide training materials as well as resources and interactive features that are beneficial to both students and local employers.