In recent years, institutions of higher education have been using Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as an alternative to enhance and innovate traditional classroom practices. One of the approaches to this type of innovation consists of using the platforms where MOOCs are hosted for the development of courses that are aligned to their oncampus curricular contents. They are known as Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs), which allow online access to knowledge for groups of students with a well-defined profile. The platforms where MOOCs (and SPOCs) are hosted have been designed to support large volumes of data and visits. However, these platforms present important limitations regarding the implementation of collaborative learning activities. To address this problem, this article presents MyMOOCSpace, a cloud-based mobile system aimed at supporting effective collaboration in MOOCs, by combining key aspects of collaboration from the research area of Computer Supported Collaborative learning (CSCL) with game-based dynamics. MyMOOCSpace has been tested in three quasi-experiments that were run in four Latin-American universities with a total of 68 participants. The objective was to assess its usability and its effect in enhancing collaboration among students in a SPOC. The results obtained on usability show that MyMOOCSpace is easy to use, and that participants felt pleased with while using it. Finally, it was observed that MyMOOCSpace managed to enhance interaction and collaboration among students.
Assessments in traditional university courses continue to be an accepted tool for validating the knowledge acquired in the different subjects. It is in this context that students use a variety of practices to prepare assessments and exams appropriately. On the other hand, in recent years, higher education institutions have been using the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as an alternative to expand and innovate their traditional classroom practices. In this field, some alternatives have been generated in these platforms to extend their functions beyond the courses proposed. MyMOOCSpace is a cloud‐based tool that improves the interaction of students participating in a MOOC course. However, a variation of this tool allows for improved collaboration and preparation of assessments and/or tests for students in a traditional higher education class. This article presents a study using the MyMOOCSpace tool as an alternative to encourage collaboration and preparation of students to take traditional tests or assessments in the field of higher education. To evaluate this application and demonstrate the impact on the results of the evaluations, a case study is presented in which 40 computer engineering students from a Chilean university participated. The results show that MyMOOCSpace generates a positive increase in student interaction regarding the subjects covered in the course, and that it helped them to study and prepare for the final exam of the subject.
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