Increasing Learners’ Retention and Persistence in MOOCs Design-Based Research (DBR) Plan

Maha Al-Freih, Division of Learning Technologies, George Mason University Dr. Nada Dabbagh, Division of Learning Technologies, George Mason University Dr. Brenda Bannan, Division of Learning Technologies, George Mason University

Introducton

In 2008, a new learning model emerged in the e-learning landscape and has attracted the attention of educational researchers, designers, instructors, and students; namely Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). MOOCs stood out because of their unprecedented scalability and open access, which challenged many of the conventions we had about formal learning. However, the novelty and scalability of MOOCs posed new challenges to the educational community. DBR offers an appropriate framework for examining the causes of high attrition in MOOCs as it allows for a holistic and comprehensive investigation into complex and novel learning situations such as those present in MOOCs (Bannan, 2013)

Research Problem

References Bannan, B. (2013). The Integrative Learning Design Framework: An illustrated example from the domain of instructional technology In T. Plomp, & N. Nieveen (Eds.), Educational design research-Part A: An introduction (pp. 114-133). Retrieved from http://international.slo.nl/edr/ Bayne, S., & Ross, J. (2014). The pedagogy of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): The UK view (Research Report). United Kingdom: The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/elt/the_pedagogy_of_the_MOOC_UK_view Bannan-Ritland, B. (2003). The role of design in research: The integrative learning design framework. Educational Researcher, 32, 21–24. Daniel, J. (2012). Making sense of MOOCs: Musings in a maze of myth, paradox and possibility. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 3. Retrieved from http://www-jime.open.ac.uk/jime/article/viewArticle/2012-18/html Ho, A. D., Reich, J., Nesterko, S., Seaton, D. T., Mullaney, T., Waldo, J., & Chuang, I. (2014). HarvardX and MITx: The first year of open online courses (HarvardX and MITx Working Paper No. 1). Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=2381263 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2381263 Jordan, K. (2013). MOOC completion rates: The data. Retrieved from http://www.katyjordan.com/MOOCproject.html

Research purpose and Questions

•  The relatively low retention rate of MOOC participants has been a central criticism in the popular discourse (most MOOCs have a completion rate of less than 13%) (Jordan, 2013)

Design-based research approach was adopted for this research project. Specifically, we utilize the Integrative Learning Design Framework (ILDF) proposed by Bannan-Ritland (2003) which consists of four main phases.

Research Challenges in this New Context

•  The unprecedented scalability and open access in MOOCs

•  The diversity of teacher preferences and beliefs, disciplinary influences

•  The wide variation in learners’ demographics, expectation and patterns of engagement, behavior, and self-organization skills

•  The need for new metrics that go above and beyond the traditional benchmarks of course certification, grades, and completion

•  Unique and complex context, unclear solution, lack of adequate resources

•  Quantity and quality of data (Bayne & Ross, 2014; Daniel, 2012; Ho et al., 2013)

Research Design and Methodology

The long-term goal is to deliver effective MOOC design interventions that can support participants and increase their persistence in MOOCs.

1. Informed Exploration Phase

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To identify, describe, and analyze the state of the problem in order to generate theoretical perspectives and corresponding design solutions to the problem

•  Problem definition •  Tentative

theoretical conjectures

Literature Review

•  SRL •  Motivational

Beliefs •  Social presence

Conceptual Framework •  Data analysis

•  Adjustments to CF •  Design

intervention

Pilot Study

Conceptual Framework

Context

Humanizing Online Instructions MOOC will be offered in the Canvas open network and will be held for four weeks staring March 9th of 2015 and ending April 5th. This MOOC is designed to be a professional development experience for those who wish to improve their online teaching practices by introducing them to the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework.

HumanMOOC13 Redesigned

Rethinking Research and Analysis

Anticipated Outcomes and Next Steps •  Adjustments to conceptual framework •  Operationalize what was learned into design

interventions that is grounded in theory and practice •  Formative and summative evaluation of design

intervention (3rd iteration of the #HumanMOOC)

•  Ethical issues •  Privacy Issues •  Big data

Data Sources

Research Questions

•  Canvas trace log data •  Learning interactions and artifacts •  SRL Microanalytics •  Social media postings (#HumanMOOC) •  Pre and post surveys •  Stages of Adoption of Technology (SA) •  Online Learning Readiness Scale (OLRS) •  Community of Inquiry Survey (CoI)

•  How does different SRL processes and motivational beliefs relate to participants persistence in a MOOC? •  Is there a difference in the SRL processes and motivational beliefs between participants who persist in a

MOOC and those who don’t? •  How is participants' perceived social, cognitive, and instructor presence related to their persistence in

MOOC?