MOOCs aren't just for current students. I think they can serve as professional development for faculty members as well. I don't have time for a MOOC during the school year, but I am committing to doing one this summer. I think that instructors can approach MOOCs in two ways: 1) professional development, and 2) a search for improved pedagogy. As professional development, learn a new statistical skill or freshen up a dormant one. Learn R. Learn Python. Freshen up on your non-parametric skillz. Take a course on data mining or using statistics in order to gain business insights. Unofficial documentation of your course progress is typically offered just by taking the course. Official documentation/grade reports are usually available for a reasonable fee (my husband has taken a few such philosophy courses and paid around $50 for the official documentation). Another way to use these courses: Don't take them to learn new skills, take them to learn new ways to teach your old...

I hope you are all finishing your grading and enjoying the first bit of your summer vacations (those of you who teach at colleges that run on semesters, at least!). I know that the last thing you want to think about right now is professional development. Especially professional development related to the teaching of statistics. That being said, I wanted to remind everyone that the Electronic Conference on the Teaching of Statistics (eCOTS) is happening next week (May 16-20) . As a mom and generally exhausted person, I really appreciate the chance to attend a conference in my pajamas. Here is the program . It only costs $25, includes workshops and poster sessions, and recordings from the conference. So, even if you aren't mentally ready to tackle something like this right now, you could view the materials at a later date.