Design for now, but with the future in mind: a "cognitive flexibility theory" perspective on online learning through the lens of MOOCs.

This paper is in response to the manuscript entitled “MOOCocracy: the learning culture of massive open online courses” (Loizzo and Ertmer in Educ Tech Res Dev 64:1013–1032, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9444-7 ) from the perspectives of cognitive flexibility theory (CFT), in the context of pandemic-induced emergency remote teaching. Our response focuses on one of the questions raised in the call for this special issue on the latter topic: what are the implications of current, urgent work being done in digital learning for the future of online learning? We argue that much of what is important for a better future of online learning can also be done well now. However, building now with the future in mind involves a fundamental reorientation of the epistemic standpoint of online learning. The need for such a reframing is a tenet of CFT. Therefore, we use CFT as a lens to reflect on the proposal by Loizzo and Ertmer (Educ Tech Res Dev 64:1013–1032, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9444-7 ) to combine c-MOOC and xMOOC designs to “foster a flexible, learner-centered culture” (p. 1027). Acknowledging the value of diverse perspectives afforded by the MOOCocracy culture, we also discuss how a CFT-based epistemic stance may further inform the future design and practice of MOOCs and, in a similar manner, online learning in general. We present some examples of ways application of learning and instruction principles of CFT can benefit online learning for the development of adaptive worldviews and the resultant development of adaptive skill that is becoming increasingly essential for life and work. Having this framework in mind as a principled overlay while urgently preparing for current schooling can help us build better, for now, and even more so for the needs that will remain in the longer term as education increasingly incorporates “twenty-first century skills.”