Alliances for Knowledge: MOOCs to Create New Professional Skills in a New Model of University (Positive and Negative Aspects)

A generational clash of enormous scope is emerging within our institutions; the criticisms to the university advanced 15 years ago were "waiting ideas'': waiting for the new Web and for a new generation of students able to effectively put in question the old model of university. The university in the globalized and the interconnected knowledge society reached a turning point; we are at a crossroads between stagnation and renewal, between atrophy and renaissance. At present, however, there are very interesting facts going on worldwide; in some prestigious universities a new idea of global education is starting from the bottom; many universities are tearing down their ivory towers and are using the Internet, the most powerful platform in history to make their contents available in the Web. Lately, in the United States as well as in Europe, the “Knowledge Alliances” and the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are emerging. This paper is aimed at analyzing the MOOC’s phenomenon in the current setting, focusing attention on the role that the University has to play in the knowledge society (section I). In the first part of the work we are going to highlight MOOCs potentials as well as their limits, which are linked, in particular, to their psycho-pedagogic models, to their course assessment systems as well as to the organizational models of the virtual structures aiming at carrying on educational activities based on MOOCs (section II). In section III, it is described the change that the Internet-based technological infrastructure can bring about to the organizational and psycho-pedagogic models of the University of the XXI Century. More specifically, the value resulting from the global networking of the best universities aimed at creating international university consortia aimed at democratizing the access to knowledge is described. The study of concrete case is presented: Consorzio NETTUNO, a consortium born in Italy from the best national and International universities and companies. Some aspects of the educational activity and of the blended (face-to-face and distance) psycho-pedagogic model – adopted by the partnering universities - are highlighted. Then it is described (section IV) the shift to the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, which implements distance teaching and learning processes in 5 languages on the Internet and whose organizational model is analyzed, and that is developed in national and international Technological Poles, set up in several public and private institutions: universities, companies, research and educational centers. The Technological Poles set up in conflict and war areas such as Iraq, Egypt and other countries of the Arab World, play an important role. In section V the results of the most significant research project that allowed to indentify the complex interrelations existing among communication technologies, cognitive processes, didactic models and educational organizations are described including also the impact that the results of these research projects achieved and are still achieving as it regards the design and realization of the Didactic Cyberspace of the Internet-based Portal of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO. In the conclusions the paper highlights the fact that, today, thank to the Web, it is possible to make universities with different policies and cultural backgrounds, share study curricula and commonn paths that allow to create new competences as well as new models of integration.