1、 About MOOCs

MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is a large-scale open online course that has the characteristics of large-scale, openness, and flexibility, providing teachers and students with a shared teaching resource and personalized learning environment. Since the "first year of MOOCs" in 2012, many well-known universities around the world have jointly built courses, and Chinese universities have also actively participated. In 2013, Chinese universities collaborated with Coursera to promote the development of MOOCs. The Ministry of Education has recognized high-quality online open courses from multiple countries, and the quantity and quality of foreign language MOOCs need to be improved. There are relatively few MOOCs for non common languages.

2、 Research Status of MOOCs and Blended Teaching in Foreign Language Majors

An overview of the application and research status of MOOCs in foreign language teaching. Most research focuses on the introduction of MOOCs, theoretical exploration, and the necessity and urgency of teaching models. There is relatively little empirical research, but the epidemic has promoted the trend of integrating online and offline education. In the national first-class undergraduate courses, foreign language courses adopt a blended learning mode. Researchers have explored the design concept, construction strategy, teaching interaction, learning satisfaction, and the impact of self-regulated learning of blended learning through case analysis and teaching practice. Despite discussions on the blended learning model for German language courses, empirical research is still lacking.

3、 The research topic of this article

The research topic focuses on the blended teaching mode of foreign language professional courses based on MOOCs, aiming to provide teachers with experience sharing of online and offline integrated teaching. The article discusses the importance of blended learning from both theoretical and practical perspectives, and uses the "Introduction to German Linguistics" MOOC as an example to demonstrate how to combine it with face-to-face classes to form an effective blended learning model. This MOOC aims to address the issues of insufficient teaching staff and resources, while enhancing the professional quality of teachers and helping students understand the fundamental knowledge of linguistics. The three methods of using MOOCs include: self-directed learning by students, courses offered by teachers through MOOCs, and blended learning that combines MOOCs with face-to-face classes. The article collects feedback on teaching effectiveness through questionnaires and interviews, supporting the feasibility and necessity of blended learning. Finally, the article draws conclusions on the blended learning model by analyzing data from the autumn and winter semesters of 2021, providing reference for other teachers.

4、 Implementation of blended learning in "Introduction to German Linguistics"

The "Introduction to German Linguistics" MOOC is taught by Professor Wang Jingping from Ocean University of China, using his "German Linguistics Course" as the textbook. The content of the MOOC covers nine units, with a total video teaching time of 560 minutes. Combined with four face-to-face classes, students can earn credits by passing tests and exams. This MOOC has been launched on multiple platforms and has been recognized as a national first-class online undergraduate course. At Ocean University of China, this course is offered as a first semester course for third year students, using a blended learning model of MOOCs and face-to-face classes, with a student-centered approach that emphasizes self-directed learning and teacher guidance and support.

5、 Teaching effectiveness and student feedback

In the blended learning mode of foreign language courses based on MOOCs, the overall evaluation score of students consists of three parts: MOOCs (20%), classroom performance (30%), and final exams (50%), achieving a combination of process evaluation and summative evaluation. The data for the fall semester of 2021 shows that students performed well in blended learning mode, with 96% of students passing the exam. Through questionnaires and interviews, the vast majority of 49 students hold a positive attitude towards blended learning mode, believing that this mode helps to understand knowledge, improve self-directed learning ability and thinking ability. Students particularly appreciate the flexibility of MOOC learning, which allows them to independently arrange their study time, preview and review course content. The blended learning model is believed to encourage students to study seriously and improve learning outcomes. The student-centered face-to-face classroom has also been recognized as it promotes student participation and output. In terms of teacher-student interaction, students believe that there are more opportunities to interact with teachers and solve problems in a timely manner. However, some students have pointed out that blended learning models increase extracurricular learning tasks, homework volume, and the universality of MOOC content may lack specificity. It is suggested that teachers provide more specific teaching content during face-to-face classes.

6、 Conclusion

As a product of the big data era, both the advantages and limitations of MOOCs should be considered. Knowledge based courses are more suitable for the MOOC model, while skill based courses require face-to-face teaching. The production of MOOCs requires four prerequisites: course maturity, technical cooperation, teaching team, and professional needs. MOOCs cannot replace classroom teaching, but can serve as a supplement. The blended learning model can achieve a student-centered teaching philosophy and promote personalized learning, but it requires reasonable planning and adjustment. The author hopes that this article can inspire more teachers to explore efficient and optimized teaching models, and cultivate excellent foreign language talents.