In Ecuador, 30% of the population does not consume drinking water of good quality. One of the causes is related to the deficiency in the technical skills of water operators because some have not had access to elementary, high school or higher education due to factors of extreme vulnerability. The Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), having an inclusive and accessible typology with attention to people at risk of social exclusion are an option to strengthen the skills of operators. Therefore, the goal of this study is to create an instructional design in MOOCs that responds to the characteristics and learning needs of a sample of 286 operators of the drinking water system. The instructional design is based on the information systems success model of DeLone and McLean and the quality principles of Merrill, Margaryan, Locke, Latham and Seijts. The results present an instructional design including quality content with objectives and learning strategies that respond to the learning characteristics of the operators as well as activities and resources with a cognitive, emotional, and behavioral didactic approach oriented at changing attitudes to learning. Finally, we can conclude that the developed instructional design promotes a more inclusive, equitable and quality education.

Only 35% of the Ecuadorian population consumes drinking water of “assured quality”. One of the causes is related to the deficiencies in the technical ability of the operators due to their lack of education, technical training, and experience. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) responsive to characteristics and learning needs are an option to strengthen the skills of operators. The goal of the present study is therefore to describe a methodology that includes the application of a survey and the use of statistical methods such as categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA) and cluster analysis to identify and assess learning characteristics. The results present the most frequent variables in the personal, academic, emotional, social, and cognitive aspects. They also show the preferences and learning needs of the operators. Finally, it is concluded that this study identifies common learning characteristics, needs, and preferences that are relevant for the creation of a quality personalized instructional design in MOOCs.