A Small Private Online Course (SPOC) is a short course taught entirely online. SPOCs are conducted for small groups of participants that are in frequent contact with each other online and who receive online guidance from an instructor and a moderator. SPOCs almost always have set start and end dates and often include deadlines for assignments as the course progresses.
By now most people have heard of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). These free and open classes are taught to thousands of students from all over the world simultaneously.
While SPOCs are also online classes, they differ from MOOCs in several ways. First, they are taught by real instructors, and operate on a much smaller scale as the number of enrollments is determined by the resources available. Second, they also support a variety of blended learning approaches, including flipped classrooms. Last, SPOCs offer a high degree of quality as they can be held to a higher standard of (paid) accountability.
SPOCs have several benefits such as intensive instructor guidance, low drop-out rates, and the opportunity to earn academic certificates and diplomas.
Elevate has an internationally recognized online learning platform that specializes in online education within the medical (research) and life science sector. We offer doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical researchers, dietitians, veterinary scientists and other health professionals access to a comprehensive range of online medical classes taught by some of the world’s leading global health experts.
Each participant customizes their own medical education based on their unique strengths, needs and interests with 24/7 access to the Elevate learning platform. They can also opt to study exclusively online or to participate in blended plans, comprising distant learning and face-to-face sessions – all at their own pace and wherever they are in the world.