Min Liu, Jina Kang, Mengwen Cao, Mihyun Lim, Yujung Ko, Ryan Myers& Amy Schmitz Weiss (2014) Understanding MOOCs as an Emerging Online Learning Tool: Perspectives From the Students, American Journal of Distance Education, 28:3, 147-159, DOI:10.1080/08923647.2014.926145
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2014.926145
Article Review
Through investigating the participants’ learning experiences in a massive open online course (MOOC), Min Liu et al. conducted the research to understand MOOCs as an emerging online learning tool from the perspectives of students. Surveys, interviews, and course activity data were employed for the purpose of triangulation as the research method. In this study, 409 out of 5000 students who enrolled in the MOOC participated in the survey and 44 responded to the interview questions. The authors surveyed and discussed the reasons for enrolling in this MOOC, time spent and completion of assignments, and positive and negative aspects of students’ learning in this MOOC.
This evidence-based research contributed to facilitate understanding of the advantages and constraints of MOOCs. Providing first-hand data, this study confirmed that the completion rate of the MOOC was low and earning a certificate was not the primary goal, which aligned with the existing literature. This study is significant for future research as it implicated the importance of self-directed learning in a MOOC environment. It is also an informative study for future MOOC design as it suggested to make the goals and expectations of a MOOC clear and explicit so as to help potential students decide if a MOOC is suited for them. To improve the assessment and communication with a large population of MOOC learners, this study indicated that it is essential to design effective peer assessment and encourage peer interaction. It is also important to use discussion forums, emails, and social networking tools for communicating differently and innovatively.
Meaningful as this study is, there are some flaws. First, the research method was not described clearly and thoroughly; the authors did not indicate how the survey was distributed. The effectiveness of the interviews via email is questioned as writing and speaking are different and the method of interviews via email did not make a major difference from open-ended questions through the survey. To give readers a clearer idea about the survey, the authors should have attached the twenty-four-question survey as an appendix. Second, the concept of xMOOC should have been explained more clearly. Third, the limitations of this study should include that the participants of this study only represented about 8% of the students who enrolled in this MOOC; hence generalizations from this data are limited. In effect, it is untenable to conclude at the end of the article that the majority of this MOOC’s participants had a positive experience.
