In the last decade, there has been a great deal of interest in language MOOCs (LMOOCs) and their potential to offer learning opportunities for large audiences, including those in disadvantaged communities. However, experiences and research have shown MOOCs to suffer from several challenges. Chief among these have been low participation and completion rates, which are often attributed to limitations in how opportunities for personalisation and social interaction are implemented. For the current study, a dedicated LMOOC was designed and implemented, called the “Social and Personal Online Language Course (SPOLC).” This language learning environment incorporates a recommendation system and emphasizes personalisation and social interaction. The study identified the types of learning behaviour that were related to course completion and observed how 270 learners in the LMOOC used the various course features. The data were collected using learning analytical methods and analysed using binary logistic regression and feature extraction prediction model. The results demonstrated that working in groups and creating a learning plan were important factors associated with course completion, while interacting with other learners online was not. We conclude with several suggestions and implications for future LMOOC design, implementation, and research.

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) were first introduced to the wider public in 2008, with the first language MOOCs appearing in 2012. Following the initial hype (The New York Times crowned 2012 the Year of the MOOC), practical experiences and research studies have surfaced a number of problems with the way they had been conceived and implemented. In this article we revisit some of the arguments for and against MOOCs, specifically for language education, and review some of the ways new forms of online learning environments are emerging, as well as new ways of using (elements of) MOOCs, for both teaching and research purposes. In particular, we focus on their potential for the collection, analysis and pedagogical application of large data sets through learning analytics and educational data mining. We argue that hybrid forms of online environments that better foreground social aspects of learning and that take better account of individual differences, have the potential to successfully support language learning on a large scale and to provide researchers and practitioners with unique insights into the language learning process.

In the last decade, Language MOOCs have attracted a lot of interest for their potential to enhance language learning. However, how learners engage with MOOC environments and realise their benefits, remains unclear. The current study adopts activity theory (Engeström in J Educ Work 14:133–156, 2001) as a lens to comprehend the affordances and limitations in an LMOOC dealing with English presentation skills called Presentation@work. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 22 participants. The data were then analysed using thematic content analysis and triangulated with the participants’ profiles using learning analytical procedures. The results showed that peer learning, personalisation, and social interaction opportunities were perceived as affordances by the participants, while lack of proficiency, lack of affinity, course content, and lack of teacher presence were seen as limitations. Relationships between the perceived affordances and limitations and different types of participants were also found. The findings demonstrate that the LMOOC activity system is dynamic and complex and that the learners play a central role in interacting with different aspects of the system. We conclude with a number of suggestions and implications for future LMOOC design, implementation and research.

This study examines how 136 language learners interacted with other learners in and out of a Language MOOC on English presentation. it also investigates the learner-reported reasons that encourage them to interact, and that prevent them from interacting with other learners. The results demonstrate that the level of learner-learner interaction was quite low in the LMOOC overall. More active learners cited a sense of belonging to the group and confidence in their English ability as the reasons for interacting with others, and less active learners reported a preference for F2F (face-to-face) interaction, lack of time and lack of English proficiency as factors preventing them from doing so. Learners also reported frequent use of personal communication tools to interact with other learners outside of the LMOOC. We conclude with a number of suggestions and implications for future LMOOC design, implementation and research.

Given the large amounts of learning data they generate and their flexible nature, Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs) allow for the emergence of various forms of personalisation. This study examines how 137 language learners personalised their learning in a Language MOOC on English presentation skills. It also investigates learner-reported reasons that encouraged them to either follow a personalised learning pathway (PLP) suggested to them by the system, or choose to devise their own individual (personal) learning plan (ILP). Data were collected using three instruments: course analytics, personalised questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results demonstrate that learners used several forms of personalisation, with an ILP being the most prominent. Learners who opted to follow a PLP cited an appropriate level of content as their primary reason for doing so, while those who chose to devise their own ILP cited having control over their learning and individual preferences as their main reasons. We conclude that LMOOC learners were more likely to devise their own learning plan than to follow a recommended plan and that the optimal design for an LMOOC is to combine both types of personalisation.