Exploring demographics and students’ motivation as predictors of completion of a Massive Open Online Course
Published | April 2019 |
Journal | The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Volume 20, Issue 2, Pages 140-161 |
Country | United States, North America |
ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the degree to which different variables affect the completion of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Data on those variables, such as age, gender, English proficiency, education level, and motivation for course enrollment were first collected through a pre-course survey. Next, course completion records were collected via the Coursera database. Finally, multiple binomial logistic regression models were used to identify factors related to MOOC completion. Although students were grouped according to their preferences, working in groups did not affect students’ likelihood for MOOC completion. Also, other variables such as age, the institution hosting the MOOC, academic program alignment with students’ needs, and students’ intention to complete the course all affected their probability of MOOC completion. This study contributes to the literature by indicating the factors that influence the probability of MOOC completion. Results show that older participants (age > 50 years old) have higher probability of completing the MOOC. Students’ MOOC completion also increases when the MOOC provides experiences that add to students’ current academic backgrounds and when they are hosted by institutions with a strong academic reputation. Based on these factors, this study contributes to research methods in MOOCs by proposing a model that is aligned with the most important factors predicting completion as recommended by the current MOOC literature. For the next phase of assigning learners to work in groups, findings from this study also suggest that MOOC instructors should provide assistance for group work and monitor students’ collaborative processes.Keywords | demographics · groups in MOOCs · intention of completion · MOOC completion · motivation |
Refereed | Yes |
Rights | Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) |
DOI | 10.19173/irrodl.v20i2.3730 |
URL | http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/3730 |
Export options | BibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar |
AVAILABLE FILES
Viewed by 106 distinct readers
CLOUD COMMUNITY REVIEWS
The evaluations below represent the judgements of our readers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cloud editors.
Click a star to be the first to rate this document
▶ POST A COMMENT
SIMILAR RECORDS
Adult MOOC learners as self-directed: Perceptions of motivation, success, and completion
Loizzo, Jamie; Ertmer, Peggy; Watson, William; Watson, Sunnie
Despite the increased attention given to MOOCs over the last four years, learners’ voices have been noticeably absent. This virtual ethnographic study was designed to examine the experiences of 12 adult learners with ...
Match: completion; motivation
Motivating students in massive open online courses (MOOCs) using the attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction (ARCS) model
Li, Kun; Moore, David Richard
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) often have low persistence rates, which may be attributed to a learners' lack of motivation. In this design-based research study, Keller's Attention, Relevance, Confidence, ...
Match: motivation; United States; North America
Open Educational Resources and open language learning for Taiwanese adult learners
Lin, Yu-Ju; Kim, ChanMin
The Internet offers easy access to open resources, especially for educational use. However, the quality of open resources has been constantly criticized (). The purpose of this study was to examine ...
Match: motivation; United States; North America
United States: State department expands access to open educational resources in the Middle East and North Africa
Mena Report
The U.S. Department of State is sponsoring a special exchange program on Open Educational Resources (OER) for education leaders in the Middle East and North Africa. Open Educational Resources are ...
Match: United States; North America
Free textbooks gain support among campus tech leaders
Wexler, Ellen
COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY officials appear more optimistic these days about open-source textbooks and open educational resources –teaching and learning materials that can be used at no cost. According to the latest ...
Match: United States; North America
Socioeconomic status and MOOC enrollment: Enriching demographic information with external datasets
Hansen, John; Reich, Justin
To minimize barriers to entry, massive open online course (MOOC) providers collect minimal demographic information about users. In isolation, this data is insufficient to address important questions about socioeconomic ...
Match: demographics
Exploratory study of MOOC learners’ demographics and motivation: The case of students involved in groups
Bayeck, Rebecca
This paper reports preliminary findings on students enrolled in a massive open online course, who were also assigned to work in groups. Part of a larger study on the effect of groups on retention and completion in ...
Match: demographics
The effects of participants’ engagement with videos and forums in a MOOC for teachers’ professional development
Bonafini, Fernanda
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for teachers have emerged as a new wave of MOOCs that provide free professional development for teachers around the globe. These MOOCs for teachers often rely primarily on discussion ...
Match: MOOC completion
Goal setting and MOOC completion
Handoko, Erwin; Gronseth, Susie L.; McNeil, Sara G.; Bonk, Curtis J.; Robin, Bernard R.
Despite providing advanced coursework online to learners around the world, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have had notoriously low completion rates. Self-regulated learning (SRL) frames strategies that students can ...
Match: MOOC completion
Herzberg, hygiene and the motivation to reuse: Towards a three-factor theory to explain motivation to share and use OER
Pegler, Chris
The list of barriers and enablers that influence the use of open educational resources (OER) is extensive. Factors and influences relating to reuse may have been noted within projects, operating within a short time ...
Match: motivation