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There are millions of people in the world who have followed some kind of MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) to date. There are hundreds of thousands who are currently enrolled in some of these courses. We can be more or less critics with MOOC, however by the effects that were producing before, it would not be total nonsense the tsunami term, that Brooks (2012) used in a New York Times article (3-5-2012) to qualify these massive, open and online courses.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) is a new phenomenon in online learning that has aroused increasing interest by researchers as a significant contribution to improving educational system quality and openness. The purpose of this paper is to compile and analyze MOOC research that has been published between 2012 and 2016. A systematic analysis technique was employed and Template Analysis (TA) approach was used for mapping MOOC research into three dimensions in accordance with the Biggs 3P model. First dimension is Presage, include the following factors: Learners’ characteristics with sub-factors (learner demographics, learner motivation, and interactivity) and instructor. Second, Process, including factors of pedagogy, pattern of engagement, instructional design, assessment, credit, plagiarism, sustainability, and learning analytics. Third dimension is Product, including factors of student dropout rate and MOOC quality. This classification is aimed at providing a comprehensive overview for readers interested in MOOCs who seek to understand the critical success factors influencing MOOC success.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs), as originally conceived, promised to provide educational access to anyone with an internet connection. However, the expansiveness of MOOC education has been found to be somewhat limited. Nonetheless, leading universities continue to offer MOOCs, including many in the health sciences, on a number of private platforms. Therefore, research on online education must include thorough understanding of the role of MOOCs. To date, studies on MOOC participants have focused mainly on learners' assessment of the course. It is known that MOOCs are not reaching the universal audiences that were predicted, and much knowledge has been gained about learners' perceptions of MOOCs. However, there is little scholarship on what learners themselves gain from participating in MOOCs. As MOOC development persists and expands, scholars and developers should be made aware of the role of MOOCs in education by examining what these courses do offer their participants. The objective of this qualitative synthesis of a set of MOOC evaluation studies was to explore outcomes for MOOC learners, that is, how the learners themselves benefit from participating in MOOCs. To explore MOOC learners' outcomes, we conducted a qualitative synthesis in the form of a deductive thematic analysis, aggregating findings from 17 individual studies selected from an existing systematic review of MOOC evaluation methods. We structured our inquiry using the Kirkpatrick model, considering Kirkpatrick levels 2, 3, and 4 as potential themes in our analysis. Our analysis identified six types of Kirkpatrick outcomes in 17 studies. Five of these outcomes (learning/general knowledge, skills, attitudes, confidence, and commitment) fit into Kirkpatrick Level 2, while Kirkpatrick Level 3 outcomes concerning behavior/application were seen in four studies. Two additional themes were identified outside of the Kirkpatrick framework: culture and identity outcomes and affective/emotional outcomes. Kirkpatrick Level 4 was not represented among the outcomes we examined. Our findings point to some gains from MOOCs. While we can expect MOOCs to persist, how learners benefit from the experience of participating in MOOCs remains unclear.

MOOCs support the global need of learning resources with large impact through online access and no geographical boundaries. However, pedagogical design limitations in MOOCs are known to result in passive role of the learner, lack of learner connect and engagement, limited interactivity with course content and peers, all of which result in low completion rates. In this paper, we present the goals of a learner-centric MOOC (LCM) model aimed towards addressing some of the critical pedagogical challenges of MOOCs and exhibit the use of the model through its primary implementation phase. The LCM model collates and translates all integral pedagogical elements of a MOOC into a learnercentric dimension to promote active learner participation and enhanced engagement with learning content and peers through fostered interactions. To demonstrate the primary use and effectiveness of the model, it has been adopted in the design and conduct of 15 different MOOCs, which were offered through two different MOOC providers. Initial empirical evidence has been presented for the effectiveness of the model towards improved learner participation through several measures, including completion rates, engagement of participants with LCM elements and perception of learners on the usefulness of the model and its adoption. The average completion rate for 15 LCMs was found to be 36.35 ± 25.61, 95% CI: 10.74–61.96%, which is significantly higher than the completion rates reported in literature. The average persistent rates, defined as the rate of completion for active learners, was 59.38% for LCMs. The model elements were also found to be effective in engaging learners in formative assessment activities and meaningful peer discussions on the forum. The learners’ perception on the adoption of the LCM model voiced several pedagogical benefits of the model which were categorized into themes. These included enhanced learner motivation and engagement with content, enhanced interactivity and peer learning, formative assessment and feedback, and catering to diversity. These themes directly aligned with desired pedagogical outcomes of the model to address some of the existing limitations of MOOCs.

The purpose of this study was to investigate learners’ experiences in marketing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The comments of 255 learners, collected from three top-rated marketing MOOCs, were analyzed with MAXQDA, a content analysis software. The analysis of the 517 meanings (unit of analysis) that emerged from these comments produced five themes and 16 associated categories valued by learners, each comprising several categories as follows: (a) topic and its categories: value, content, difficulty level, knowledge gain, insight increase, and cost effectiveness; (b) instructor and its categories: characteristics, content delivery, and communication; (c) peers and its categories: interaction and evaluation; (d) instructional design and its categories: workload, structuredness, and assessment; and (e) learning resources and its categories: quality and diversity. Among the 517 meanings, 448 were positive and 69 were negative, suggesting that the learners approved of the current practices of teaching and learning in the three marketing MOOCs. Further analyses showed that content delivery in the instructor theme and content and value in the topic theme were of considerable importance from the learners’ perspectives with regard to positive experiences; however, peer evaluation in the peers theme and assessment in the instructional design theme were negatively viewed by the learners. Discussion is provided to interpret the findings.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are among the latest e-learning initiative that have gained a wide popularity among many universities. Student dropout in MOOCs is a major concern in the higher education and policy-making communities. Most student dropout is caused by factors outside the institution’s control. In this study, a multiple-criteria decision-making method was used to identify the core factors and possible causal relationships responsible for the high dropout rate in MOOCs. Twelve factors, distributed across four dimensions, related to students’ dropout from online courses were identified from the literature. Then, a total of 17 experienced instructors in MOOCs from different higher education institutions were invited to assess the level of influence of these factors on each other. The results identified six core factors that directly influenced student dropout in MOOCs, these were: academic skills and abilities, prior experience, course design, feedback, social presence, and social support. Other factors such as interaction, course difficulty and time, commitment, motivation, and family/work circumstances were found to play a secondary role in relation to student dropout in MOOCs. The causal relationships between the primary and secondary factors were mapped and described. Outcomes from this study can offer the necessary insights for educators and decision makers to understand the cause–effect relationships between the factors influencing MOOC student dropout, thus providing relevant interventions in order to reduce the high dropout rate.

This study examined the role motivational dispositions had on completing a massive open online course (MOOC) using identifiable data from 10,726 students who enrolled in an iteration of the HarvardX MOOC, Super Earths and Life. As part of the course registration process, learners had the option to complete a pre-course survey and self-report information including their level of education, gender and registration motivations. Using these pre-course survey responses, latent profiles linked to learners’ course performance were created. Results showed education background, gender, and motivation were all significantly related to students’ performance. Furthermore, students with intrinsic motivational dispositions performed better than students with extrinsic dispositions, and females performed better than males.

Although MOOCs platforms offer a unique way to provide information for a large cohort of participants, only a small percentage of participants complete MOOCs. The high number of dropouts in MOOCs is a key challenge, and the literature suggests that it can be affected by participants' motivation. However, it is not known how and to what extent motivation influences participants’ dropout in MOOCs. There is a need to provide an overview of the role of motivation in MOOCs’ retention. In this study, we aimed to identify motivational factors and theories that affect participants’ retention in MOOCs and explain how does motivation supports participants to complete MOOCs. To do so, a systematic review was conducted using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and a set of relevant keywords and databases which resulted in 50 relevant publications. Our analysis led us to identify six main motivational factors that influence participants’ MOOCs completion including academic, social, course, personal, professional, and technological motives. These factors were divided into two main categories including need-based motivation and interest-based motivation. The results showed that academic motives play the most important role in participants’ MOOCs retention compared to the other factors. It was also found that self-determination theory was used as the most dominant theory to support participants’ motivation for MOOCs completion. In addition, the results revealed that the motivational factors not only impacts participants’ MOOCs retention directly, but also this impact is mediated by participant satisfaction, self-regulation, attitude toward using MOOCs, performance, engagement, and level of participation. Based on the results, further implications for practice and future research are provided.

In order to improve teaching effect of the “Java Design Patterns” course, the teaching process uses cases as the main line through the pattern concept, pattern structure diagram, pattern realization, application scenarios and the advantages and disadvantages of the pattern. This teaching method combines the orientation of application-oriented undergraduate, the characteristics of students’ knowledge structure and course’s abstract nature. In addition, this method combines traditional classrooms and MOOC platforms, and has achieved good results in actual teaching.

The governments of emerging economies have realized the potential of massive open online courses (MOOCs) for enhancing the quality of higher education, but MOOC penetration is still very low in countries like India. This article explores the issues relating to MOOC integration and attempts to identify the key drivers for the adoption of a MOOC-based curriculum. Integration into the curriculum, the MOOC services of the academic library and the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development's (MHRD) policy and support are identified as the key drivers for increasing MOOC penetration. The article also suggests a direct relationship between the level of MOOC penetration and the quality of higher education in emerging economies. The practical implications for practice and policy are classification of the MOOC services of the academic library and a decision-making model that chooses a hybrid learning strategy for higher educational institutions.