Perceptions of MOOC Learning for Employability

This chapter analyzes the instructional quality and learning design of different categories of online courses and their history, with a special focus on massive open online courses (MOOCs). Online courses have a long tradition that has gained public attention, broad interest, and huge numbers of participants thanks to the introduction of free MOOCs accessible online for all interested learners worldwide. In this chapter, we first define MOOCs, their characteristics, and history. Afterward, theoretical frameworks and practical instruments and tools based on scientific research are presented. From the beginning, the quality of MOOCs (and of online courses in general) has been debated. That led to discussions about the learning design and outcomes of MOOCs, which we introduce in the next section. Key research findings and practical validated instruments for designing and evaluating MOOCs (and online courses in general) are presented. Then following, the key benefits of MOOCs and the main arguments and scenarios for their usage are summarized. Based on our analysis of the research results, practices, and standards, a framework for categories and types of (massive open) online courses is proposed, called the typologies of online courses (TOC) framework. As part of the global community for open educational resources (OER) and in combination with the UNESCO recommendation on OER, MOOCs can play a significant role in achieving the SDG4 of the United Nations: inclusive and equitable quality education for all. This is true in particular during times of public lockdowns, such as during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) became very popular during the last years leading to an increasing global debate about their quality. To address the quality issues, several research surveys and instruments were developed to analyse the current status of MOOCs and to examine the different perspectives of learning with MOOC from core MOOC stakeholders. Based on a literature review and analysis of existing quality approaches and indicators for MOOCs, the Global MOOC Quality Survey was designed and conducted (n=267). Final objective is the development of the Quality Reference Framework (QRF) with quality indicators and tools in close collaboration with all interested stakeholders worldwide. This paper presents first results from the Global MOOC Quality survey relating to the overall experiences with MOOCs and their offered four interaction types: learner-facilitator (LF), learner-resource (LR), learner-learner (LL) and group-group (GG). There was a very high significant relationship (p<.001) between the learners' MOOC experience and the three interaction types LF, LR and LL and a significant relationship (p=.026) for the fourth interaction type GG. There was not a significant relationship between the designers' MOOC experience and all four interaction types. Comparing the different perspectives of learners and designers, our analysis presents significant differences in MOOC learners' and designers' intentions and experiences. Hence, it can be questioned whether MOOC designers are currently understanding and meeting the interests and demands of the MOOC learners.

While massive open online courses (MOOCs) promise to democratise access to education, the literature reveals a nuanced understanding of engagement in these settings, especially in resource-constrained environments. Blended MOOCs combine MOOCs and physical classroom settings of contents and instructions. This study extends this discourse by focusing on blended MOOCs, which remain under-explored in the context of developing countries. The blended MOOC at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana, deals with third-party MOOCs as open educational resources (OERs) integrated with campus-based courses. UCC students have been using such blended MOOCs since 2016, when all level 100 students were mandated to enrol in a course entitled Information Technology Skills (ITS101). ITS101 is aligned to courses in a MOOC platform called Alison as an OER. Students' engagement is key to their continued use and satisfaction with online learning, such as MOOCs. However, among all the e-learning modes, students' engagement is the lowest in MOOCs, leading to high dropout rates. Blended MOOCs are one of the techniques recommended to reverse the undesirability of MOOCs, including engagement. However, few studies have been conducted on students' engagement in blended MOOCs, especially among university students in sub-Saharan Africa using MOOCs as OERs. Thus, this paper aims to measure student engagement in blended MOOCs using the revised Community of Inquiry for university students in a developing country. The rationale is to determine whether factors affect engagement positively or negatively. A two-stage cluster sampling technique was used to determine the participants for this study. A list of blended MOOC classes offered at UCC was obtained from the staff's mailing list. In the first stage, academic levels (100, 200, 300 and 800) were randomly selected from the strata using a lottery sampling technique. In the second stage, another simple random selection of blended MOOC courses or classes was used within each selected academic level. All students in the selected classes were then included in the study. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling was used to validate the model on the predictive relationships existing among the four presences (cognitive, learning, social and teaching) and engagement. Results from the structural model analysis proved a statistically significant predictive relationship among the constructs within the model. Learning presence had the most significant effect on student engagement. Thus, it should be included as one of the presences in the community of inquiry.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) continue to remain in the spotlight as a promising future education environment. However, more than 80% of learners stop learning before attending one-third of the course. Despite a continuous spread of MOOC and high dropout rate, little has examined the antecedent factors that influence student engagement in technology enhanced MOOC learning environment from the Job Demand-Resources (JD-R) model. The purpose of this study was to empirically identify the effects of individuals’ basic psychological needs and the task–technology fit on MOOC learners’ continuance intention to use, as well as the mediating effect of student engagement in MOOCs. Based on survey data from 201 Korean-MOOC learners, structural equation modeling was employed to assess the model. The findings are as follows: The basic psychological needs in MOOCs did not directly affect continuance intention to use, but did affect student engagement; the task–technology fit of MOOCs directly affected continuance intention to use and student engagement; and student engagement in MOOCs mediated between the basic psychological needs and task–technology fit, and continuance intention to use. It directly affected continuance intention to use. Implications were suggested for designing courses in MOOCs to increase student engagement for continuance intention to use.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to develop a theoretical framework for enhancing students’ higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) by integrating massive open online courses (MOOCs) with gamification elements. Background: There is a growing demand to develop students’ innovative thinking abilities through MOOCs, focusing on higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), which are essential for 21st-century challenges. While gamification has shown potential in enhancing HOTS, its integration within MOOCs to improve these skills remains underexplored. Enhancing students’ HOTS through MOOCs combined with gamification is crucial for developing advanced skills like analysis, evaluation, and creativity. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a robust theoretical framework that effectively merges MOOCs and gamification to enhance students’ HOTS. Methodology: This research used a qualitative research approach employing critical analysis techniques. The research procedures were guided by the SALSA framework. A total of 19 articles from the SCOPUS and Google Scholar databases were selected based on specific criteria: articles published between 2013-2023, articles with keywords such as MOOCs, gamification, higher-order thinking, or engagement, and articles written in English. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify common themes in the selected articles. The proposed framework was developed by drawing upon well-established theories in the fields of educational technology, online learning, collaborative learning, connectivism, student engagement, and Bloom’s taxonomy. Contribution: This study not only synthesizes existing research on MOOCs but also presents a holistic and integrated framework for leveraging learning theories, gamification elements, student engagement dimensions, and HOTS to enhance the effectiveness of MOOC-based education. The proposed framework aims to provide researchers and educators with a comprehensive model for integrating gamification elements into MOOCs to enhance students’ higher-order thinking skills. By utilizing this framework, educators can design more engaging and effective online courses, while researchers can further investigate the impact of gamification on learning outcomes and student engagement. Findings: This study proposes a framework that integrates three main components: connectivism, online collaborative learning, and gamification principles. Implementing these components in the MOOC learning environment aims to enhance digital higher-order thinking as proposed by Churches and improve students' feelings and perceptions towards MOOC learning. Recommendations for Practitioners: By recognizing the unique challenges of maintaining students’ attention in the context of MOOC learning, practitioners can incorporate gamification elements into MOOC learning environments to enhance students’ HOTS. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers can further explore the understanding and measurement of the dynamics of interactions and engagement within MOOCs. Additionally, they should aim to identify which gamification elements effectively capture students’ attention and contribute to their overall engagement. Impact on Society: By focusing on HOTS, especially through gamification, society can anticipate a generation of individuals with improved critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovative capabilities. Furthermore, the implementation of connectivism in MOOCs can promote a global exchange of knowledge, resulting in diverse perspectives and a shared pool of information. This, in turn, will contribute to a more interconnected and collaborative world to address complex challenges. Future Research: The future direction of research in MOOC learning contexts should prioritize guaranteeing and fostering student engagement. It should also involve exploring the potential of gamification within MOOCs and refining instructional designs to specifically enhance higher-order thinking skills. By addressing these critical aspects, researchers can contribute to the ongoing evolution of online education and ensure its effectiveness and relevance in the ever-changing landscape of digital learning.

&lt;p class="3"&gt;MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have changed the way in which OER (Open Educational Resources) are bundled by teachers and consumed by learners. MOOCs represent an evolution towards the production and offering of structured quality OER. Many institutions that were initially reluctant to providing OER have, however, joined the MOOC wave. Nevertheless, MOOCs detractors strongly criticize their high dropout rates. The dropout rate is a commonly accepted metric of success for traditional education, but it may not be as suitable when dealing with OER, in general, and with MOOCs, in particular, since learners’ motivations to take a course are very diverse, and certain self-regulated learning strategies are required to tackle the lack of personalized tutoring and keep pace in the course. This paper presents an empirical study on the motivation and learning strategies of MOOC learners. Six thousand three hundred and thirty-five learners from 160 countries answered a self-report 7-point Likert-type questionnaire based on the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) as part of a MOOC titled &lt;em&gt;Introduction to Programming with Java&lt;/em&gt;. Results indicate that learners were highly motivated and confident to do well in the course. Learning strategies, however, can be improved, especially regarding time management.&lt;/p&gt;

Problem and purpose. The article analyzes the development of massive open online courses (MOOC), their structure and application in the practice of higher education, the introduction of new experience and strategy of distance learning at the Department of Physical Culture of the Siberian Federal University. The purpose of the article is to analyze the stages of the emergence and development of one of the areas of distance learning – massive open online courses (MOOC) and to analyze their application in the educational process of the University. The methodology of the research is based on the analysis of theoretical materials and research works of foreign and domestic scientists on the development of massive open online courses and the experience in the implementation of massive open online courses. Results. The article is devoted to the theory and experience of using MOОС in the world and in the educational process of the University. The authors describe the main intermediate results of the massive open online courses introduction in the educational process at the Department of Physical Culture of the Siberian Federal University. The problems, errors in the work with the MOОС and the aspects correcting the errors in future are analyzed. Conclusion. The results obtained so far allow us to conclude that the possible option of using distance learning technologies in the form of MOОС in teaching the discipline of „Physical Culture” is effective but requires additional research and further considerations.

Methods for teaching large numbers of people over the Internet have become a popular topic as new technologies for communication and teaching large audiences have emerged in recent years. Many educational institutions are turning toward MOOCs, or massive open online courses, as a technology for delivery of learning content. In this article, we describe a brief history of MOOCs and the technologies that support learning in MOOCs. We also illustrate what uniquely defines MOOCs in comparison to other forms of distance or online learning. We conclude with a discussion on the implications for teaching and learning with MOOCs and valuable steps for MOOC design, implementation, and future research.

A massive open online course on the laws of thermodynamics has been designed using the 5Es (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) lesson planning methodology and delivered using everyday engineering examples to provide familiar contexts for both a global cohort of more than 3000 learners ranging in age from teenagers to septuagenarians in 137 different countries plus a large class of 355 university undergraduates. In addition to the structured pedagogy, the massive open online course included innovations in the use of practical exercises, that could be performed in the learner’s kitchen, and worked examples to enhance the learning experience. The massive open online course was provided in parallel with an introductory undergraduate course and as an additional learning resource for the undergraduate students. A little less than one-fifth of the undergraduates participated in the massive open online course and just over half of these responded that it would be an acceptable substitute for traditional lectures. The percentage completing the massive open online course was relatively high at 28% compared to 21% for other massive open online courses on the same platform, which is attributed to the pedagogy and strong support for social learning based on a survey of fully participating learners in the last week of the five-week course.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to propose a research model based on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) model to examine whether network externality, personalization and sociability as environmental feature antecedents to learners’ learning engagement (LE) can influence their learning persistence (LP) in massive open online courses (MOOCs).Design/methodology/approachSample data for this study were collected from learners who had experience in taking MOOCs provided by the MOOC platform launched by a well-known university in Taiwan, and 371 usable questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling in this study.FindingsThis study proved that learners’ perceived network externality, personalization and sociability in MOOCs positively affected their cognitive LE, psychological LE and social LE elicited by MOOCs, which jointly led to their LP in MOOCs. The results support all proposed hypotheses, and the research model accounts for 76.2% of the variance in learners’ LP in MOOCs.Originality/valueThis study uses the S–O–R model as a theoretical base to construct learners’ LP in MOOCs as a series of the inner process, which is affected by network externality, personalization and sociability. It is worth noting that three psychological constructs including cognitive LE, psychological LE and social LE are used to represent learners’ organismic states of MOOCs usage. To date, hedonic/utilitarian concepts are more often adopted as organisms in previous studies using the S–O–R model, and psychological constructs have received lesser attention. Hence, this study’ contribution on the application of capturing psychological constructs for completely expounding three types of environmental features as antecedents to learners’ LP in MOOCs is well documented.

&lt;p&gt;Despite the increase in massive open online courses (MOOCs), evidence about the pedagogy of learning in MOOCs remains limited. This paper reports on an investigation into the pedagogy in one MOOC - Oxford Brookes University’s ‘First Steps in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’ MOOC (FSLT12).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;FSLT12 was an open and free professional development opportunity for people moving into HE teaching. It was a small course (200 participants registered from 24 countries) which was focused on introducing HE teaching skills, and, uniquely, to deliberately integrate open academic practice as a vital part of professional development for HE teachers. A qualitative, case-study approach was used in the research, based on surveys, interviews, and social media, to provide evidence about how people learned in this course and consider wider implications for teaching and learning in higher education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The evidence shows that participants who completed the course were able to learn autonomously and navigate the distributed platforms and environments. The most challenging issues were acceptance of open academic practice and difficulty in establishing an academic identity in an unpredictable virtual environment. An interesting and significant feature of the course was the support for learners from a number of MOOC ‘veterans’ who served as role models and guides for less experienced MOOC learners.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The research shows that small task-oriented MOOCs can effectively support professional development of open academic practice.&lt;/p&gt;

Open Educational Resources and Massive Open Online Courses as e-bricks for Smart Cities Authors: Carmen Holotescu, Gabriela Grosseck, Laura Malita Nowadays when more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas, when information and (mobile) communication technologies are real catalysts for innovations in all domains, there are a lot of studies and debates related to how our cities should become "Smart Cities", "Smarter Cities" or "Future Cities", in order to improve life quality and to reduce costs. The paper starts with a literature research related to definitions for the "Smart City" term and to the needed steps / action plans / strategies for such a transformation. The new citizens will have vital roles in building smart cities; they should be hyperconnected, creative, entrepreneurs, also they should actively participate and collaborate in the cities activities and decisions. The paper will explore: - How Open Educational Resources and Massive Open Online Courses can support the citizens engagement, learning and participation, also new skills and competencies development? - How the authorities can collaborate with universities and researchers to develop specific OER and to organize such courses? Which new policies are neeeded? - Which features should be offered by MOOCs platforms and how such courses can be facilitated? - What lessons can be learned from current projects targeting these issues?

The running security and stability of massive open online course's teaching network directly affect the implementation process of massive open online course's teaching tasks. In order to provide valuable reference data for the management and maintenance of the network, this paper puts forward an analysis method of abnormal traffic of higher vocational massive open online course's teaching network based on deep convolution neural network. According to the structure of the teaching network of massive open online course in higher vocational colleges, a network model is built. Under this model, the flow data is collected, and the preprocessing of the initial flow data is completed through data cleaning, standardized conversion and clustering. The deep convolution neural network is established, and the characteristics of network traffic data are extracted through back propagation iteration. After discrete detection and feature matching, the abnormal traffic in the teaching network of higher vocational massive open online course is detected, and the visual analysis results are obtained. Compared with the traditional network abnormal traffic analysis method, it is found that the detection error and missed detection rate of the optimized design method are reduced by 3.75MB and 1.02% respectively, the accuracy of traffic abnormal type analysis is increased by 1%, and the analysis speed is obviously improved.KeywordsDeep Convolution Neural NetworkTeaching in Massive Open Online CourseTeaching NetworkAbnormal Flow Analysis

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become a popular tool for worldwide learners. However, a lack of emotional interaction and support is an important reason for learners to abandon their learning and eventually results in poor learning performance. This study applied an integrative framework of achievement emotions to uncover their holistic influence on students’ learning by analyzing more than 400,000 forum posts from 13 MOOCs. Six machine-learning models were first built to automatically identify achievement emotions, including K-Nearest Neighbor, Logistic Regression, Naïve Bayes, Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machines. Results showed that Random Forest performed the best with a kappa of 0.83 and an ROC_AUC of 0.97. Then, multilevel modeling with the “Stepwise Build-up” strategy was used to quantify the effect of achievement emotions on students’ academic performance. Results showed that different achievement emotions influenced students’ learning differently. These findings allow MOOC platforms and instructors to provide relevant emotional feedback to students automatically or manually, thereby improving their learning in MOOCs.

BackgroundLearners in a given massive open online course (MOOC) are usually provided with the same learning materials, guided by the same syllabus, and assessed in the same format. This “one‐size‐fits‐all” approach constrains learners' ability to reap the optimal benefits from online learning.ObjectivesThis study aims to characterize learners' differences in MOOC learning. Specifically, it examines how learners might vary in their enrolment motivation and the development of continuance intention to learn in a MOOC because of their gender and employment status.MethodsData were collected via a questionnaire survey. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyse data from 664 learners in a Chinese MOOC.Results and ConclusionThe research revealed significant differences in learners' enrolment motivation across groups defined by employment status, but not for gender groups. Learner groups defined by gender and employment status experienced variant psychological processes when deciding to continue to learn in the MOOC.Major TakeawaysWorking adults stressed the instrumental values derived from MOOC learning; therefore, it is vital to design and integrate additional features into the MOOC to satisfy their needs. Besides, it would be critical to understand female learners' and working adults' expectations of MOOC learning, as they are more sensitive to confirmation in determining their attitudes toward learning in a MOOC. A short pre‐course survey of learners' expectations would serve the purpose.