Research Article
Cao Tuong Dinh
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 1, Article No: ep552
ABSTRACT
In the rapidly evolving landscape of online education, understanding what drives student satisfaction is crucial for designing effective learning experiences. The study examines the factors influencing English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ satisfaction with online cooperative learning (CL) in massive open online courses (MOOCs). Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research investigates how different aspects of CL contribute to student satisfaction and identifies challenges students face in such environments. Quantitative data were gathered from 374 students through a structured survey, while qualitative insights were derived from semi-structured interviews with 16 participants. The findings suggest that CL enhances academic performance, engagement, and social interaction among students. However, challenges such as language barriers, unequal participation, and technological issues were also highlighted. The study emphasizes the importance of clear task assignments, effective leadership, and structured collaboration to mitigate these challenges. The research underscores the need for further exploration into the nuanced experiences of EFL students in MOOCs, particularly concerning cultural and linguistic factors that may influence their learning outcomes. These insights contribute to the broader understanding of how CL can be optimized in online education settings to enhance student satisfaction.
Keywords: online cooperative learning, MOOCs, constructivism theory, higher education
Research Article
Anh Tuan Pham
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 1, Article No: ep550
ABSTRACT
Blended massive open online courses (bMOOCs) have emerged as a potential educational model that combines conventional in-person instruction with online learning. The investigation into students’ level of interaction in bMOOCs is significant to the effective implementation of bMOOCs in higher education. This study investigates the perceived level of student interaction with their peers, instructors, content, and technology in bMOOC environments, the relationship between their interaction and satisfaction, and ways of enhancing student interaction. This research employs a mixed-method data collection approach, including qualitative semi-structured interviews and quantitative data analysis, with the participation of 339 students at a higher education institution in Vietnam. The findings reveal that students’ perceived level of interaction was quite high. Student interaction in offline classes was preferred to the massive open online courses environment. Besides, student interaction types and their satisfaction were positively correlated. The paper also addresses possible suggestions for maximizing student interaction in bMOOC environments and practical implications for educational practices in higher education.
Keywords: blended learning, MOOCs, interaction, Coursera
Research Article
Ricardo-Adán Salas-Rueda, Ricardo Castañeda-Martínez, Ana-Libia Eslava-Cervantes, Clara Alvarado-Zamorano
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep343
ABSTRACT
Technological advances such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) allow the construction of new spaces where students consult the information at any time, take the online exams and communicate with the participants of the educational process from anywhere. This quantitative research analyzes the perception of the teachers about the organization of the school activities in MOOCs and use of ICT considering machine learning and decision tree techniques (data science). The participants are 122 teachers (58 men and 64 women) from the National Autonomous University of Mexico who took the “Innovation in University Teaching 2020” Diploma. The academic degree of these educators is Bachelor (n = 35, 28.69%), Specialty (n = 4, 3.28%), Master (n = 58, 47.54%) and Doctorate (n = 25, 20.49%). The results of machine learning (linear regressions) indicate that the organization of the school activities in MOOCs positively influences the motivation, participation and learning of the students. Data science identifies 3 predictive models about MOOCs and ICT through the decision tree technique. According to the teachers of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the organization of the school activities in MOOCs and use of ICT play a fundamental role during the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of this research promotes that educators use MOOCs and ICT to improve the educational conditions, create new remote school activities and build new virtual learning spaces. In conclusion, universities with the support of technological tools can improve the teaching-learning process and update the course during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, MOOCs represent a technological alternative to transform the school activities in the 21st century.
Keywords: MOOCs, teaching, data science, machine learning, ICT, COVID-19
Research Article
Olga Pilli, Wilfried Admiraal
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 223-240
ABSTRACT
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as a new approach to distance education, which originated from the open education resources (OER) movement, are becoming widespread throughout the world. Over time, early versions of cMOOCs have undergone changes in terms of use, name and structure. In their short life, MOOCs have been categorized into different taxonomies depending on, for example, their types, pedagogies, orientations, target participants, resources and content. This article proposes a new taxonomy to position MOOCs on two dimensions: massiveness and openness, which brings a fresh perspective for understanding varieties of MOOCs based on the two definitional elements. The dimensions of massiveness and openness are identified and discussed. Based on these, we conclude two dimensional matrix with four categories: (i) small scale and less open, (ii) small scale and more open, (iii) large scale and less open, (iv) large scale and more open. This classification provides a comprehensive description of different types of MOOCs which could be helpful to answer the necessities of MOOC providers, educators, students, and researchers.
Keywords: Massive open online courses, MOOCs, Open learning, Distance education, Online courses, Taxonomy of MOOCs