ERIC Number: EJ1118996
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Dec
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1042-1726
EISSN: N/A
Comparing Learner Community Behavior in Multiple Presentations of a Massive Open Online Course
Gallagher, Silvia Elena; Savage, Timothy
Journal of Computing in Higher Education, v28 n3 p358-369 Dec 2016
Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) can create large scale communities of learners who collaborate, interact and discuss learning materials and activities. MOOCs are often delivered multiple times with similar content to different cohorts of learners. However, research into the differences of learner communication, behavior and expectation between multiple presentations is scarce. This is of importance to MOOC developers, academics and moderators, as an understanding of these differences could have an impact on content provision, community moderation, course delivery, learner interactions, and completion rates. This case study of two presentations of a Futurelearn History MOOC examined learner activity data, and pre and post course learner survey results (n = 10,449). Differences in learner survival rates, behavior, expectation, recruitment, experience of online learning, demographic makeup, reasons for non-completion, and comment activity were identified. These results form a preliminary exploration of learner community differences between multiple MOOC presentations that guide future analyses by identifying areas of comparative interest and importance.
Descriptors: Large Group Instruction, Online Courses, Communities of Practice, Case Studies, Student Surveys, Student Behavior, Student Experience, Expectation, Educational Technology, Computer Mediated Communication, Student Recruitment, Student Characteristics, Academic Persistence, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ireland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A