Coursera’s introductory human physiology course: Factors that characterize successful completion of a MOOC

Abstract

Since Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are accessible by anyone in the world at no cost, they have large enrollments that are conducive to educational research. This study examines students in the Coursera MOOC, Introductory Human Physiology. Of the 33,378 students who accessed the course, around 15,000 students responded to items on the pre-course survey about their age, educational background, proficiency in English, and plans for participating in the course. We categorized students who completed the pre-course survey into groups based on the number of exams completed and corresponding course achievement level. We used Chi-square goodness of fit tests to analyze the distribution of students' responses on the pre-course survey and associated achievement level. Of the students who responded to the pre-course survey and passed with distinction, a larger percentage self-identified as fluent in English while a smaller percentage self-identified as beginners. Students with graduate degrees were more likely to pass the course or pass with distinction than students with only some college experience or a bachelor's degree. Students who completed either some or all exams were more likely to selfreport intention to complete all course activities than students who did not take any exams. A greater proportion of students who passed the course or passed with distinction posted two or more times on the course discussion forum. Understanding MOOC students and the characteristics that lead to their success will enable modification to courses for increased student achievement and may also inform teaching in the traditional classroom.

Nonnative English-Speaking Students’ Lived Learning Experiences With MOOCs in a Regular College Classroom

“…Nonnative English-speaking students read more slowly than native speakers and are likely to play a video slowly to understand instructors' lessons (Reilly et al, 2016) and may require more time to learn the content, sometimes falling behind (Sanchez-Gordon & Luján-Mora, 2014). Nonnative English-speaking students tend to achieve lower scores than Englishspeaking students in MOOCs (Engle et al, 2015;Reilly et al, 2016) Another concern is nonnative English-speaking learners' participation in social interaction, such as online discussion (Colas et al, 2016). In an analysis of online forum participation in a business course offered in Coursera, Gillani and Eynon (2014) found that European and North American participants not only achieved higher grades in forum participation than those from Asia but were also more visible in online forums, participating in discussions more actively than other participants.…”

“…According to Shah (2015a) Among the growing numbers of MOOC students are nonnative English-speaking learners. Although no official statistical data are available on their numbers, Engle, Mankoff, and Carbrey (2015) examined student characteristics accessed via Introductory Human Physiology, offered through Coursera. Among the 33,378 learners signed up for the MOOC, 15,310 students responded to the survey, 56.9% of whom reported that English was not their first language.…”

“…In addition, because MOOCs have provided diverse, innovative, and high-quality content at no cost or at low cost to the public (Engle et al, 2015;Gillani & Eynon, 2014;Jordan, 2014;Sandeen, 2013), educators from around the world have become increasingly interested in adding relevant MOOC content to their regular classrooms (Bruff, Fisher, McEwen, & Smith, 2013;Najafi, Evans, & Federico, 2014;Sandeen, 2013;Swigart & Lang, 2016); yet very little empirical research has been conducted with regard to nonnative English-speaking students. The purpose of the study was, therefore, to identify nonnative English students' lived learning experiences with MOOCs in a regular college classroom.…”

Η αξιοποίηση των Μαζικών Ανοικτών Διαδικτυακών Μαθημάτων (MOOCs) από το ΕΑΠ: Ποιοτική έρευνα σε μέλη ΔΕΠ του ιδρύματος

“…Μάλιστα, η ανάπτυξη και η εξέλιξη των MOOCs στο διεθνές εκπαιδευτικό περιβάλλον εμφανίζεται ως καινοτομία που αποκτά ραγδαία εξάπλωση σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο τόσο στην περιοχή της συμβατικής τριτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης όσο και των Ανοικτών Πανεπιστημίων (Baggaley, 2013;Moessinger, 2013;Siemens, 2013;Waldrop, 2013), γεγονός που φανερώνεται και από το μεγάλο αριθμό σχετικών επιστημονικών δημοσιεύσεων (βλ. ενδεικτικά : Chen, 2014;Colvin et al, 2014;Engle, Mankoff, & Carbrey, 2015;Firmin et al, 2014;Hollands & Tirthali, 2014;Liyanagunawardena, Adams, & Williams, 2013;Rodriguez, 2012;Stewart, 2013;Suen, 2014;Xu & Jaggars, 2014). Στόχος της εργασίας αυτής είναι η ανίχνευση των αντιλήψεων των μελών του Διδακτικού Ερευνητικού Προσωπικού (ΔΕΠ) του Ελληνικού Ανοικτού Πανεπιστημίου (ΕΑΠ) για τις δυνατότητες παροχής ανοικτής και εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης από το ίδρυμα με τη χρήση των MOOCs.…”

Role Modelling in MOOC Discussion Forums

“…On the one hand, only a small fraction of all MOOC participants use the forum to communicate (Abnar, Takaffoli, Rabbany, & Zaïane, 2015). However, forum activity often goes along with higher engagement in the course and higher completion rates (Anderson, Huttenlocher, Kleinberg, & Leskovec, 2014;Engle, Mankoff, & Carbrey, 2015). Discussion activities between learners in MOOCs offer the potential of involving more learners in sustainable collaborative knowledge building in a social context when adequately supported (c.f.…”