Abstract:
There is a large variation in background and purpose of massive open online course (MOOC) learners. To improve the overall MOOC learning experience, it is important to id...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
There is a large variation in background and purpose of massive open online course (MOOC) learners. To improve the overall MOOC learning experience, it is important to identify which MOOC characteristics are most important for learners. For this purpose, in this article, we analyzed about 150 000 open-ended learner responses from 810 MOOCs to three postcourse survey questions about their learning experience: (Q1) What was your most favorite part and why? (Q2) What your least favorite part and why? (Q3) How could the course be improved? We used the latent Dirichlet allocation topic model to identify prominent topics present in learner responses to each question. We determined the theme of each identified topic through qualitative analysis. Our results show that the following aspects of MOOCs can significantly impact the learning experience: quality of course content, accurate description of prerequisites and required time commitment in course syllabus, quality of assessment and feedback, meaningful interaction with peers and educators, engaging instructor and videos, accessibility of learning materials, and usability of platform.
Published in: IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies ( Volume: 14, Issue: 2, 01 April 2021)
Funding Agency:
School of Engineering Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Gaurav Nanda received the bachelor's degree in agricultural and food engineering (major) and electrical engineering (minor) and master's degree in water resources development and management from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India, in 2005 and 2005, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2017.
He is currently an Assistant P...Show More
Gaurav Nanda received the bachelor's degree in agricultural and food engineering (major) and electrical engineering (minor) and master's degree in water resources development and management from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India, in 2005 and 2005, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2017.
He is currently an Assistant P...View more
School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Kerrie A. Douglas received the B.A. degree in psychology, the M.S. degree in education, and the Ph.D. degree in educational psychology from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2000, 2009, and 2012, respectively.
She is currently an Assistant Professor with the School of Engineering Education, Purdue University. She studies how to improve assessment and evaluation methods in engineering courses.
Kerrie A. Douglas received the B.A. degree in psychology, the M.S. degree in education, and the Ph.D. degree in educational psychology from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2000, 2009, and 2012, respectively.
She is currently an Assistant Professor with the School of Engineering Education, Purdue University. She studies how to improve assessment and evaluation methods in engineering courses.View more
School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
David R. Waller received the Bachelor of Engineering degree in aerospace engineering and the Master of Applied Science degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2014 and 2016, respectively, where he is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree with the School of Engineering Education. His research interests include assessment of collaborative problem solving in engineering.
David R. Waller received the Bachelor of Engineering degree in aerospace engineering and the Master of Applied Science degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2014 and 2016, respectively, where he is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree with the School of Engineering Education. His research interests include assessment of collaborative problem solving in engineering.View more
School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Hillary E. Merzdorf received the master's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2020. She is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in engineering education with Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Her research interests include user-centered evaluation of digital learning technologies, online assessment in engineering education, and the effective use of student dat...Show More
Hillary E. Merzdorf received the master's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2020. She is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in engineering education with Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Her research interests include user-centered evaluation of digital learning technologies, online assessment in engineering education, and the effective use of student dat...View more
Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Dan Goldwasser received the Ph.D. degree in computer science from the Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA, in 2012.
He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. Prior to joining Purdue University, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. Hi...Show More
Dan Goldwasser received the Ph.D. degree in computer science from the Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA, in 2012.
He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. Prior to joining Purdue University, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. Hi...View more
Contents School of Engineering Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Gaurav Nanda received the bachelor's degree in agricultural and food engineering (major) and electrical engineering (minor) and master's degree in water resources development and management from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India, in 2005 and 2005, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2017.
He is currently an Assistant Professor of Practice with the School of Engineering Technology, Purdue University. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher with Purdue University for two years and in the software industry for five years. His research interests include text mining, collaborative information systems, and intelligent decision support systems combining artificial intelligence and human expertise.
Gaurav Nanda received the bachelor's degree in agricultural and food engineering (major) and electrical engineering (minor) and master's degree in water resources development and management from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India, in 2005 and 2005, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2017.
He is currently an Assistant Professor of Practice with the School of Engineering Technology, Purdue University. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher with Purdue University for two years and in the software industry for five years. His research interests include text mining, collaborative information systems, and intelligent decision support systems combining artificial intelligence and human expertise.View more
School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Kerrie A. Douglas received the B.A. degree in psychology, the M.S. degree in education, and the Ph.D. degree in educational psychology from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2000, 2009, and 2012, respectively.
She is currently an Assistant Professor with the School of Engineering Education, Purdue University. She studies how to improve assessment and evaluation methods in engineering courses.
Kerrie A. Douglas received the B.A. degree in psychology, the M.S. degree in education, and the Ph.D. degree in educational psychology from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2000, 2009, and 2012, respectively.
She is currently an Assistant Professor with the School of Engineering Education, Purdue University. She studies how to improve assessment and evaluation methods in engineering courses.View more
School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
David R. Waller received the Bachelor of Engineering degree in aerospace engineering and the Master of Applied Science degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2014 and 2016, respectively, where he is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree with the School of Engineering Education. His research interests include assessment of collaborative problem solving in engineering.
David R. Waller received the Bachelor of Engineering degree in aerospace engineering and the Master of Applied Science degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2014 and 2016, respectively, where he is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree with the School of Engineering Education. His research interests include assessment of collaborative problem solving in engineering.View more
School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Hillary E. Merzdorf received the master's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2020. She is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in engineering education with Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Her research interests include user-centered evaluation of digital learning technologies, online assessment in engineering education, and the effective use of student data.
Hillary E. Merzdorf received the master's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2020. She is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in engineering education with Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Her research interests include user-centered evaluation of digital learning technologies, online assessment in engineering education, and the effective use of student data.View more
Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
Dan Goldwasser received the Ph.D. degree in computer science from the Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA, in 2012.
He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. Prior to joining Purdue University, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. His research interests include connecting natural language with real-world scenarios, and using them to guide natural language understanding.
Dan Goldwasser received the Ph.D. degree in computer science from the Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA, in 2012.
He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. Prior to joining Purdue University, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. His research interests include connecting natural language with real-world scenarios, and using them to guide natural language understanding.View more
