Refining success and dropout in massive open online courses based on the intention–behavior gap

Abstract

Welten institute -Research centre for Learning, teaching and technology, open university of the netherlands, Heerlen, the netherlands ABSTRACT In this paper we present an alternative typology for determining success and dropout in massive open online courses (MOOCs). This typology takes the perspectives of MOOC-takers into account and is based on the their intentions and subsequent behaviour. An explorative study using two MOOCs was carried out to test the applicability of the typology. Following the traditional approach based on course completion to identify educational success, success rates were 6.5 and 5.6%. The success rates from the perspectives of the MOOC-taker were 59 and 70%. These findings demonstrate that merely looking at course completion as a measure for success does not suffice in the context of MOOCs. This change in addressing MOOC success and dropout provides an alternative view and demonstrates the importance of MOOC-takers' perspectives.

Predicting student performance in a blended MOOC

“…The percentages are quite similar to a recent study, which showed that 5.6-6.5% of the students completed the MOOC, whereas 59-70% of the students achieved their learning objectives (Henderikx et al, 2017). This resulted in a completely distinct picture.…”

“…However, not completing an MOOC does not necessarily mean that learning or teaching needs to be improved, because students may have other motivations and learning objectives besides completion (Clow, 2013;Henderikx, Kreijns, & Kalz, 2017;Koller, Ng, Do, & Chen, 2013). However, not completing an MOOC does not necessarily mean that learning or teaching needs to be improved, because students may have other motivations and learning objectives besides completion (Clow, 2013;Henderikx, Kreijns, & Kalz, 2017;Koller, Ng, Do, & Chen, 2013).…”

To Change or Not to Change? That’s the Question… On MOOC-Success, Barriers and Their Implications

“…Insight in these matters is valuable for MOOC-makers as the success measurement is often used as an indicator for the necessity of design interventions [2]. Data of MOOC-II was used to compare currently used certificate-oriented success measurement with our proposed intention-oriented success measurement.…”

“…For this reason, it does not suffice to only look at the number of certificates earned by the MOOC-takers for determining success, even though this method is often transferred from the formal education context to the MOOC and is the most widely-used method of identifying educational success. As an alternative approach, we take the initial intention of the individual as a starting point for measuring success taking into account that MOOCs allow individuals to follow their own learning paths [2]. These intentions may vary from simply browsing through a MOOC to-indeed-getting a certificate.…”

The Flipped MOOC: Using Gamification and Learning Analytics in MOOC Design—A Conceptual Approach

“…This comes along with a shifted perspective on success in a MOOC: while previous measures mainly accounted for completion rates or certificates earned, modern approaches take user intentions into account and calculate individual goal achievement rates [2,38,39], only with this shift in success measurement, the flipped MOOC is possible: individualizing the learning experience does not necessarily deliver comparable results in terms of completion rates. Consequently, a personalized MOOC would be rated as less successful.…”