Who are with us: MOOC learners on a FutureLearn course

Abstract

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) attract learners with a variety of backgrounds. Engaging them using game development was trialled in a beginner's programming course, "Begin programming: build your first mobile game," on FutureLearn platform. The course has completed two iterations: first in autumn 2013 and second in spring 2014 with thousands of participants. This paper explores the characteristics of learner groups attracted by these two consecutive runs of the course and their perceptions of the course using pre-and post-course surveys. Recommendations for practitioners are offered, including when the audience is different to the one expected. A MOOC is unlikely to please everyone, especially with such large cohorts. Nevertheless, this course, using game development as a vehicle to teach programming, seems to have offered a balanced learning experience to a diverse group of learners. However, MOOC creators and facilitators should accept that a course cannot be made to please everyone and try to communicate clearly who the intended audience for the course are.

A Contemporary Review of Research Methods Adopted to Understand Students’ and Instructors’ Use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

“…However, results of pre-and post-course surveys are often presented separately and tend to be descriptive in nature. In such studies, the entry-survey was to obtain participants' demographics and motivation, and the exit-survey was to capture their perceptions of course experience [37], [43]. Researchers seem to have made little effort to associate results of entry-surveys with that of exit-surveys.…”

Students' Learning Outcomes in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): Some Suggestions for Course Design

“…Some studies pointed that participation, motivation, intention to complete the course, and level of course satisfaction are all related to students' achievement (Castaño-Garrido et al, 2015;Liyanagunawardena, Lundqvist, & Williams, 2015;Milligan et al, 2013).…”

“…Therefore, the needs and requirements of those who follow and lead MOOCs should be fulfilled by MOOC providers to continue their existence and enhance efficiency. It is further important to note that these needs and requirements are evolving and changing in very different patterns compared to traditional education (DeBoer et al, 2014;Liyanagunawardena et al, 2015).Secondly, there is widespread agreement that students' learning outcomes are more difficult to explore and analyse in open online learning environments than in campus environments because of the difficulty, discrepancies, and fertility of data in open online learning environments. More research is needed to fully comprehend factors related to significant learning outcomes in MOOCs by conducting research that goes beyond counting 'clicks.'…”

Learning through engagement: MOOCs as an emergent form of provision

“…As MOOCs are not formal online courses resulting in the award of credits, they require no upfront payment, nor do they have a requirement for prior learning or qualifications, and learners who enrol may have a very wide range of motivations for joining a course and their conception of what might constitute success for them will similarly vary. While for some learners completing the course in order to be eligible for a certificate may constitute success, for others it might be to sample materials for general interest or audit a course to learn one or two new things with no intention of completing the course (Liyanagunawardena et al, 2015).…”