If the first chapter in the evolution of massive open online courses (Moocs) was written in the US, it may well be in Europe that they make their next,,t significant advance. 如果说大规模开放课堂(Mooc)发展的开篇是在美国书写的，那么它们的下一个重大进展很可能会发生在欧洲 This is the view of Hannes Klpper, co-founder and chief academic officer,,at Iversity, a Berlin-based Mooc platform that launched in October 2014. Mr Klpper argues that the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (E,,CTS) presents an opportunity to transform Moocs – free, standalone courses – from academic novelty to meaningful qualifications. Iversity的联合创始人及首席学术官汉,,内斯克洛珀(Hannes Klpper)就是这样认为的。
Iversity是一个位于柏林的Mooc平台，成立于2013年10月克洛珀认为，欧洲学分转换与积累体系(ECTS)提供了一个彻底改变Mooc（免费的独立课程）的机会，它将使Mooc从学术界的新奇玩意转变为正经八百的学历 The,,ECTS is a standard for comparing student attainment and performance in higher education institutions across Europe. Under the system, students can tr,,ansfer credits for study already completed towards an appropriate equivalent degree in any of the 53 countries that have ratified the Lisbon Recogniti,,on Convention. ECTS是一套标准，用来比较欧洲各地高等院校学生的学识及成绩在该体系下，学生可在已批准《里斯本认可公约》(Lisbon Recognition Convention)的53国中的任何一国，将已修学分转换成该国相应的同等学历。
Should European unive,,rsities start awarding students credit for attainment in Moocs, Mr Klpper says that the ECTS provides a legal basis for mutual credit recognition. 克洛珀,,说，ECTS为学分互认提供了法律依据，一旦欧洲大学开始向学生在Mooc中完成的学业授予学分，这些学分就能在欧洲各国得到承认 Mr Klpper says that this sets Europe apart from the US. No national mechanism for credi,,t transfer exists in the US and students must demonstrate the eligibility of their credit to university admission boards. 他说，这一点将欧洲与美国区别开来由于美国在国家层面上不,,存在学分转换机制，因此学生必须向大学录取委员会证明自己的学分符合要求。
“The ECTS shifts the burden of proof to universities to prove that course credit is not relevant,” says Mr Klpper.,,“Credit from other accredited institutions must be accepted by default [and] any refusal must be justified.” Moreover, he adds, universities are not,,permitted to make students resit work for their credit to be recognised. “The incentive structure and legal framework work in our favour.” “ECTS将证明课程学,,分不合要求的举证责任转嫁给各个大学克洛珀说，“在默认情况下，大学必须承认学生从其他认证机构修得的学分；如果拒绝承认，必须给出正当理由他接着说，此外，大学不得要求学生重考相关课程、然后才承认他们在这些课程上的学分。
激励结构和法律框架对我们有利 Michael Gaebel, head o,,f the Higher Education Policy Unit at the European University Association, says there is no legal obstacle to Moocs playing a role in the European cre,,dit market. “The question, if universities start doing this, is under what conditions [they do so].” 欧洲大学协会(EUA)高等教育政策部门负责人迈克尔格贝尔(Michael Gaebe,,l)说，不存在任何法律上的障碍阻止Mooc在欧洲学分市场上立足问题在于，如果大学开始承认这些学分，那么是基于何种条件（来承认） Credibility is paramount, says Stephen Jackson, director of reviews at the Quality,,Assurance Agency for higher education in the UK. “It is only by demonstrating learning outcomes that credit should be granted.” 英国高等教育质量保证局(Quality A,,ssurance Agency for higher education)评审主任斯蒂芬杰克逊(Stephen Jackson)说，最重要的是可信度。
只有证明学习成果是实实在在的，才应被授予学分 Ensuring the quality of the Moocs learning,,experience, and of student achievement, remains a major concern. “At the moment, certificates [for completing Moocs] do not specify any level of atta,,inment,” says Mr Jackson. 如何确保Mooc学习经历和学生成绩的质量，仍是人们目前关心的一大问题杰克逊说：“现阶段，（完成Mooc课程的）证书并不明确标出学识达到了哪一水平 Coursera and edX, leading US-based Mooc platform,,s, have introduced optional certification on some courses. For a fee, students receive a certificate, but no credit, upon completion. 美国知名Mooc平台Course,,ra和edX已在一些课程上引入了可选的证书。
学生在完成课程后，可付费获得一个证书、而不是学分 A significant hurdle to the awarding of certificates – let alone credit – is verifying the online iden,,tity of participants. To tackle this, Coursera has introduced technology to identify students enrolled on its “Signature Track” certification option.,,颁发证书（更别提授予学分了）面临的一大障碍是核实参与者的网络身份为了解决这一问题，Coursera引入了相关技术，来识别注册了其“签名追踪”(Signature Track)证书选项的学生的身份 Simon Nelson, chief executive of Futurelearn, the,,UK-based Mooc platform, although unconvinced about remote invigilation, says that “new forms of authentication are clearly helpful for gaining credibi,,lity”. 英国Mooc平台Futurelearn的行政总裁西蒙尼尔森(Simon Nelson)虽然对远程监考持怀疑态度，但也表示“这些新形式的认证显然有助于增强可信度。
To bypass the identity verification issue, proctored –,,or supervised – assessment may offer a solution. 若想绕开身份验证问题，带监考或监督的评定或许是一种解决方案 “Proctored exam centres could take us very quickly to the point where,,universities can award credit for Moocs,” says Jeff Haywood, chief information officer at the University of Edinburgh, which offers courses through C,,oursera and Futurelearn. 爱丁堡大学(University of Edinburgh)首席信息官杰夫海伍德(Jeff Haywood)说：“带监考的考试中心一下子就帮我们解决了这个问题，大学由此便可向Mooc课程授予学分爱丁堡大学在Coursera和Futu,,relearn上都提供了课程。
Indeed, Iversity has opted for traditional in-person exams to assess students enrolled on pilot for-credit courses. 事实上，Iversity已选择用,,传统的现场考试来评定那些注册了试点学分制课程的学生 Coursera, meanwhile, is experimenting with online proctoring. Students enrolled on five Moocs sit online exams with live su,,pervision. These Moocs have been approved for credit recommendation by the American Council on Education (Ace). Coursera则开始尝试监考，注册了5门Mooc课程的学生需参加带实况,。