How MOOC-Takers Estimate Learning Success: Retrospective Reflection of Perceived Benefits

Abstract

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have attracted a great deal of interest in recent years as a new learning technology. Since MOOCs inception, only limited research has been carried out to address how learners perceive success in MOOCs after course completion. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceived benefits as the measurement of learning success. Narrative interviews were conducted with 30 Russian-speaking learners who completed at least one MOOC in full. By employing text analysis of interview transcripts, we revealed the authentic voices of participants and gained deeper understanding of learners' perceived benefits based on retrospective reflection. The findings of the study indicate that after finishing MOOCs, learners have received tangible and intangible benefits that in general justified their expectations. University-affiliated students, as well as working professionals, recognized the complementarity of MOOCs, but their assessments were limited to educational tracks. We discovered that taking MOOCs often coincided with the time when an individual was planning to change career, education, or life tracks. The results of the study and their implications are further discussed, together with practical suggestions for MOOC providers.

Linking learner factors, teaching context, and engagement patterns withMOOClearning outcomes

“…Practitioners and researchers should refrain from directly comparing the learning process and outcome of MOOC participants with that of matriculated university students, particularly with respect to course completion. Perceived benefits reported by MOOC learners often extend beyond earning a paid or free certificate and include personal satisfaction, self‐confidence, new knowledge and practical skills, positive outlook in life and new social connections (Sablina, Kapliy, Trusevich, & Kostikova, 2018). As a consequence, practitioners and researchers should attempt to classify MOOC learners into subgroups of learners, reconceptualize what is relevant and most important to each subgroup, develop effective educational interventions for each subgroup and adopt valid tools to measure the actual and perceived educational, personal and social gains.…”

“The contribution of MOOCs to upskilling the labor force”

“…The qualitative study by Sablina et al (2018) used a retrospective approach that considered the perception of learners about the impact of MOOCs on their overall life experience. The study highlighted that the divide between job-specific (in their terminology "tangible") and general ("intangible") skills is blurred and instead ordered along a continuum.…”

A Systematic Review of Questionnaire-Based Quantitative Research on MOOCs

“…Students evaluated MOOCs based on what they perceived as benefits, including academic achievement, expected certificates or rewards, progress of learning efficiency, and effort invested in acquiring new knowledge or practical skills (Jung et al, 2019;Ruiz-Palmero et al, 2019;Teresa Garcia-Alvarez et al, 2018). Through participating in MOOCs, learners gained tangible and intangible benefits that generally justified their expectations, usually coinciding with individuals' plans to change their career, education, or life trajectory (Sablina et al, 2018).…”