MOOCs:  A systematic study of the published literature 2008-2012

Liyanagunawardena, Tharindu R.; Adams, Andrew A.; Williams, Shirley

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v14i3.1455

Cited by 843 publications

(501 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…For example, Perna et al (2014) studied learner usage in 16 MOOCs offered through Coursera, and found that fewer than half of registrants (46%) accessed one or more video lectures. Liyanagunawardena, Adams, and Williams (2013) examined 45 MOOC-related research papers published between 2008 and 2012, and noted that the highest rate of successful completion for any course was 19.2%, but the vast majority reported less than 10%. In addition, Jordan (2014) considered completion as the percentage of course registrants who met criteria to earn a course certificate in 39 MOOCs offered on different platforms (e.g., edX, Coursera, Udacity), and found a typical completion rate to be 5%.…”

Section: Learner Completionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big Data Characterization of Learner Behaviour in a Highly Technical MOOC Engineering Course

et al. 2016

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ABSTRACT:MOOCs attract a large number of learners with largely unknown diversity in terms of motivation, ability, and goals. To understand more about learners in highly technical engineering MOOCs, this study investigates patterns of learners' (n = 337) behaviour and performance in the Nanophotonic Modelling MOOC, offered through nanoHUB-U. The authors explored clusters of learner clickstream patterns using the k-means++ algorithm and found five clusters of learner behaviour, labelled according to learners' use of materials: Fully Engaged, Consistent Viewers, One-Week Engaged, Two-Week Engaged, and Sporadic learners. The Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric statistical test yielded a significant difference (p< 0.01) between learners' access of course materials in each cluster. The researchers then examined the participation and mean scores on course quizzes and exams for each learner group. One-Week Engaged learners, on average, scored significantly lower on the first week's assessment. Two-Week Engaged learners, on average, scored significantly lower on the second week's assessments. Other differences found in learners' participation and performance on quizzes and tests based on the five clusters are discussed. These findings suggest that some of the high dropout numbers in advanced MOOCs may be related to learners' performance on course assessments. In addition, integration of learner access to course material with course assessment scores provides a much richer understanding of learners in a MOOC.

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Section: Learner Completionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big Data Characterization of Learner Behaviour in a Highly Technical MOOC Engineering Course

et al. 2016

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“…For some researchers, the distinction between cMOOC and xMOOC is not so clear and there is still a gap in the literature in defining the types of MOOCs [15]. On the contrary, others maintain that 'they are so distinct in pedagogy that it is confusing to designate them by the same term' [12,16].…”

Section: Individualistic Vs Connectivist Moocsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, there should be a trade-off between having enough participants for an active forum and having too much participation which makes participants feel overwhelmed [32]. Large volumes of data generated in forums make it difficult and challenging to be up-to-date with the content [15].…”

Section: Individualistic Vs Connectivist Moocsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Forum Community, the Connectivist Element of an xMOOC

Dubosson¹,

Emad²

2015

ujer

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One of the fastest growing approaches to teaching and learning in the new digital paradigm is the use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). They are categorised either as cMOOCs following a connectivist approach, or as xMOOCs based on behaviourist principles. However, in xMOOC environments, forums may play a real connectivist role if they are functioning as a community. This paper builds on the criteria of Herring (2004) in order to determine the existence and dynamics of a community. Forum participants, in a connectivist approach, create knowledge together by requesting help, answering questions, discussing concepts and techniques, and suggesting applications and additional learning material. This research questions the existence of a clear distinction between cMOOCs and xMOOCs. It was also observed that gender roles in STEM classes are replicated online. Online teaching nowadays is no longer based on one-way processes but includes users in multi-way processes. These dynamics may be effective in ensuring a strong and well-functioning learning community.

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“…Three MOOC platforms are leading the race, Coursera, Udacity and EdX, and all three are associated with the highest ranking US universities. Generally MOOCs have no fees, prerequisite qualifications, formal accreditation or predefined levels of participation (Liyanagunawardena et al, 2013). Taking part is voluntary and depends on the interest and motivation of the learner.…”

Section: Introduction: Background To Moocsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Massive Open Online Course for teaching physiotherapy students and physiotherapists about spinal cord injuries

Harvey

Glinsky

Lowe³

et al. 2014

Spinal Cord

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The MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is the latest buzzword in distance education, bringing together, for the first time, high quality 'Ivy League' providers, online education and a low-cost model.MOOCs align with the approaches to teaching and learning advocated by the Kronberg Declaration (UNESCO, 2007), whereby learners 'play an ever more active role in knowledge acquisition and sharing' with 'the role of teachers and instructors decreasing'. While the basic design of individual MOOCs may not have moved too far beyond traditional pedagogical approaches, being largely lecture-based in format, the concept itself is learner-centred, liberating students to access and engage with education.However, to date, it would appear that MOOCs are falling short of these lofty ambitions for a radical shift in the way that education is delivered. The evidence strongly suggests that any reasonable measure of learner engagement in MOOCs is underwhelming when compared to the massive number of enrolments that many have secured.With these issues in mind, the authors this summer (2013) ran an eight-week MOOC, which generated data for a randomised control trial that considers the impact of three factors on student engagement: 1) Workload 2) Task design 3) Level of and nature of facilitation As part of the design, five different user groups were randomly created to investigate the contribution of each of the three factors above to the level of student engagement and to determine which, if any, had the greatest significance. Engagement was measured by tracking user activity and the collection of student feedback. This paper reports on the initial results of this experiment in MOOC delivery.

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MOOCs: A systematic study of the published literature 2008-2012

Cited by 843 publications

References 34 publications

Big Data Characterization of Learner Behaviour in a Highly Technical MOOC Engineering Course

Big Data Characterization of Learner Behaviour in a Highly Technical MOOC Engineering Course

The Forum Community, the Connectivist Element of an xMOOC

A Massive Open Online Course for teaching physiotherapy students and physiotherapists about spinal cord injuries

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