Research


Publications

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): Participant Activity, Demographics, and Satisfaction

Sara Shrader, Maryalice Wu, Dawn Owens-Nicholson, and Kathleen Santa Ana

Abstract

Examining activity patterns, participant demographics, and levels of satisfaction in multiple MOOC offerings at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from August 2012 - December 2013, the authors seek to answer the following questions: "who are MOOC participants, how do they participate, and were they able to get what they wanted out of the course?" Findings indicate a number of unique patterns of engagement that correlate with certain demographic characteristics. This project employs both qualitative and quantitative methods, and serves as a model for further studies seeking to uncover the significance of participant activity within MOOCs.

Citation: Shrader, S., Wu, M., Owens, D., and Santa Ana, K., "Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): Participant Activity, Demographics, and Satisfaction" Online Learning 20, no. 2 (2016):199-216.

Do professors matter? Using an A/B Test to Evaluate the Impact of Instructor Involvement on MOOC Student Outcomes

Jonathan H. Tomkin and Donna Charlevoix

Abstract

This research investigates the impact professors, and other instructional staff, have on student content knowledge acquisition in a physical science MOOC offered through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. An A/B test was used to randomly assign MOOC participants in either a control group (with no instructional interaction) or an intervention group (in which the professor and teaching assistants responded to comments in the discussion and complied summary weekly feedback statements) to identify the differences in learning outcomes, participation rates, and student satisfaction. The study found that instructor intervention had no statistically significant impact on overall completion rates, overall badge acquisition rates, student participation rates, or satisfaction with the course, but did (p<0.05) lead to a higher rate of forum badge completion, an area that was targeted by the intervention.

Available at ACM Digital Library.

Presentations

Massive Data: Individual Learners, Challenges for Developing Holistic Views of MOOC Participants

Cunningham, P. (October 2016). Massive Data: Individual Learners, Challenges for Developing Holistic Views of MOOC Participants. Presented at the 2016 School of Information Sciences Research Showcase, Champaign, IL.


Massive Data: Individual Learners, Challenges for Developing Holistic Views of MOOC Participants

Cunningham, P. D. (October 2016) Massive Data: Individual Learners, Challenges for Developing Holistic Views of MOOC Participants. Presented at the Learning with MOOCs Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Video recording available at: https://youtu.be/sosEO-HKjPM?t=43m20s


Managing MOOCs: Exploring Stakeholder Relationships in Massive Open Online Courses

Cunningham, P. (April 2016). Managing MOOCs: Exploring Stakeholder Relationships in Massive Open Online Courses. Presented at the Education Across Collegiate Borders: Developing New Perspectives Forum, Champaign, IL.


New User Patterns, New Research Parameters: Implications for Learning Analytics in an "on-demand" MOOC environment

Wu, M., Cunningham, P., Owens-Nicholson, D., Robinson, R. and Shrader, S. (October 2015) MOOCs, Educational Metrics, and Unpacking the Current Research. Presented at the Learning with MOOCs Workshop, Columbia University.

Video recording available at: https://youtu.be/VCc3CPMLItQ?t=36m58s


MOOCs, Educational Metrics, and Unpacking the Current Research

Shrader, S. and Wu, M. (November 2014) MOOCs, Educational Metrics, and Unpacking the Current Research. Presented at the Campus Technology Fall Forum, Rosemont, Illinois.


MOOCs @ Illinois: What we're learning about who's taking our Coursera courses

Shrader, S., Witte, J. and Blanken-Webb, J. (October 2013) MOOCs @ Illinois: What we're learning about who's taking our Coursera courses. Presented at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Teach Tech Conference, Chicago, Illinois.


Learner Engagement and Motivation in MOOCs (Panel)

Mock, J, Daume, H., Wang, E. (2014, August). Learner Engagement and Motivation in MOOCs. Presentation at the MOOC Workshop, Cambridge, MA.


Peer Assessments: Small and at Scale

Mock, J. (2014, May). Peer Assessments: Small and at Scale. Presented at the Faculty Summer Institute, Champaign, IL.


Effects of Course Length in a MOOC

Vazquez, J. and Mock, J. (2014, April). Effects of Course Length in a MOOC. Presented at the Sloan-C 7th Annual International Symposium for Emerging Technologies for Online Learning, Dallas, TX.


MOOCs at Illinois

Mock, J. (2013, June). MOOCs at Illinois. Presentation for the ELI Short Course: Designing and Delivering a Quality MOOC. Online.


Design Differences, Teaching Trials, Lessons Learned in a MOOC Medium

Mock, J. & Witte, J. (2013, May). Design Differences, Teaching Trials, Lessons Learned in a MOOC Medium. Presentation at the Faculty Summer Institute, Champaign, IL.


Design Differences, Production Pitfalls, Teaching Trials, and Lessons Learned in a Coursera Context

Mock, J. (2013, April). Design Differences, Production Pitfalls, Teaching Trials, and Lessons Learned in a Coursera Context. Presented at the Sloan-C 6th Annual International Symposium for Emerging Technologies for Online Learning, Las Vegas, NV.