Differences in online study behaviour between sub-populations of MOOC learners

Abstract

Information was gathered about learners who were studying on repeat offerings in 2013-14 of six University of Edinburgh MOOCs on the Coursera platform. Two sources of information were used in this study: learner-contributed information about themselves and their study intentions collected in voluntary surveys, and data about learner behaviours, including performance on the courses, collected from the platform software during the MOOC deliveries. Three aspects of learner attributes and behaviours were analysed to investigate: whether learners who took the same MOOC twice performed better the second time; whether learners managed to achieve the goals that they said they had before the course began, in particular, achievement of a Statement of Accomplishment (SoA), and whether learners who did persist in the MOOCs and gained SoAs exhibited different behaviours with respect to their use of the online features of the MOOC platform.Of the small number of MOOC repeating learners, most were drawn from those who had been active in their first round of study, and of those who were not active in their first round, they mainly failed to be active in their second, suggesting structural reasons for their lack of activity. A small number of MOOC repeat learners gained a second SoA. There was a very strong age-dependency in the likelihood of gaining an SoA, and younger learners were much less successful at turning intention to gain an SoA into that outcome. DIFFERENCES IN ONLINE STUDY BEHAVIOUR BETWEEN SUB-POPULATIONS OF MOOC LEARNERS [DIFERENCIAS DE COMPORTAMIENTO ENTRE GRUPOS DE ESTUDIANTES DE CURSOS EN LÍNEA ABIERTOS Y MASIVOS (MOOC)] AmyIn terms of use of online tools, apart from watching videos, in which learners who did not achieve an SoA were similar to those who did, SoA-learners used the online tools more frequently, in an particular reading and posting to the online forums.The implications for course design and support are discussed. KEY WORDSOnline courses; MOOC; student behaviour; online learners; Coursera; Statement of Accomplishment. RESUMENSe ha recogido información de los alumnos que han seguido 6 cursos MOOC, ofertados por segunda vez en 2013-14, en la plataforma Coursera de la Universidad de Edimburgo. Se manejaron dos fuentes de información para este estudio: encuestas voluntarias que respondieron los estudiantes con información sobre sí mismos y sus intenciones de estudio, y datos sobre los comportamientos del alumno, incluyendo el rendimiento en los cursos, recogidos en el software de la plataforma durante las entregas de tareas en el mismo MOOC. Se analizaron tres aspectos sobre las características y el comportamientos del alumno: si los estudiantes que realizaron el mismo MOOC dos veces, la segunda vez lo cursa mejor; si los estudiantes logran alcanzar las metas que indicaron que tenían antes de que comenzara el curso, en particular, la consecución de una Declaración de Logro (SoA), y si los alumnos que permanecieron en los MOOCs y ganaron SOAS manifiestan diferentes comportamientos con respecto a...

Comments in MOOCs: who is doing the talking and does it help?

“…In relation to the third research question, we found that learners who comment have similar demographic characteristics to those learners who complete more of the MOOC, and that there is a strong relationship between being a commenter and completing. These findings concur with previous research examining forum activity and retention (Balakrishnan & Coetzee, ; Breslow et al, ; Kizilcec et al, ; Woodgate et al, ). However, for most commenters, those who make just a few comments, the volume of comments they make has only a weak relationship with completion.…”

“…Consequently, it is not surprising that there have been many studies examining the factors associated with retention in MOOCs (Breslow et al, ; Cisel, ; Guo & Reinecke, ; Kizilcec, Piech, & Schneider, 2013; Palin, ), some of which have focused on the role of social interaction. Several studies have found that MOOC learners who post in discussion forums are less likely to drop out than those who do not (Balakrishnan & Coetzee, ; Breslow et al, ; Kizilcec et al, ; Woodgate, Macleod, Scott, & Haywood, ). Balakrishnan and Coetzee (), examining data from a Coursera MOOC, found that students who posted on a weekly basis were very unlikely to drop out, whilst those who did not post were more likely to drop out but not as likely as those who did not read posts.…”

“…Balakrishnan and Coetzee (), examining data from a Coursera MOOC, found that students who posted on a weekly basis were very unlikely to drop out, whilst those who did not post were more likely to drop out but not as likely as those who did not read posts. Woodgate et al () examined data from six Coursera MOOCs offered by the University of Edinburgh in 2013 and 2014 and found that learners who persist and gain a Statement of Accomplishment were more likely to have read a discussion forum post or to have posted themselves than a learner who did not persist, and they were more likely to have done it more often. Breslow et al () found that although only 3% of learners participated in a MOOC discussion forum, certificate earners used it much more, with 52% of certificate earners participating in the forums.…”

Types of Participant Behavior in a Massive Open Online Course

“…The assessments in MOOCs may serve different goals, due to the open nature of the courses, such as selftesting or formal assessment for course credit (Woodgate, Macleod, Scott, & Haywood, 2015). With the massive number of participants in a course, conducting assessments by the instructors is impossible (Glance et al, 2013;Sandeen, 2013;Suen, 2014) and different models of assessments are evolving, including: automated quizzes, peer assessments, and self-assessments.…”

Exploratory study of MOOC learners’ demographics and motivation: The case of students involved in groups

“…MOOC research shows that MOOC learners are diverse in terms of cultural background and country of origin, online experience, education level, employment status and in their reasons for enrolling in a MOOC (Dillahunt, Chen & Teasley, 2014;Guo & Reinecke 2014;Woodgate, Macleod, Scott & Haywood, 2015).…”