A Learning Analytics View on Dispersion of Learning in MOOCs

  • Authors

    • Nur Yasmin Khairani Zakaria
    • Helmi Norman
    • Melor Md Yunus
    • Harwati Hashim
    • Norazah Nordin
    2018-11-26
    https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i4.21.21606
  • active learning time, dispersion of learning, completion rates, higher education, pace of learning, massive open online courses.

  • Abstract

    Learning analytics of massive open online courses (MOOCs) can assist educators and researchers to understand learning patterns in MOOCs. As learning in these types of environments are still relatively understudied, learning analytics can help in visualizing patterns of learning which include dispersion of learning. Previous studies have indicated that a higher level of dispersion of learning may indicate that a learner is actively participating in a MOOC. As such, the study aims to investigate the dispersion of learning in MOOCs from a learning analytics view and identify the relationships among factors such as total active learning time, peak learning times, and number of comments. The study involved investigating learning analytics of a MOOC for postgraduate studies learning about educational technology with an enrolment of over 660 students. The findings of the study show that high dispersion of learning could indicate that student require a slower pace of learning, while a lower one could indicate vice versa. Results also show that learners with lower completion rates and high dispersion of learning were one who contributed more to the community (i.e. had the greatest number of comments). In sum the findings suggest that dispersion of learning is related to students’ overall engagement in MOOCs and dispersion of learning cannot be made the sole measure of learning as it could be related to pace of learning.

     

     

  • References

    1. [1] Adamopoulos P. What makes a great MOOC? An interdisciplinary analysis of student retention in online courses.

      [2] Bolliger DU. Key factors for determining student satisfaction in online courses. International Journal on E-learning. 2004;3(1):61-7.

      [3] Boston W, Díaz SR, Gibson AM, Ice P, Richardson J, Swan K. An exploration of the relationship between indicators of the community of inquiry framework and retention in online programs.

      [4] Boston W, Ice P, Burgess M. Assessing student retention in online learning environments: a longitudinal study. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. 2012 Jun 26;15(2):1-6.

      [5] Coetzee, D., Fox, A., Hearst, M.A. and Hartmann, B., 2014, February. Should your MOOC forum use a reputation system?. In Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing (pp. 1176-1187). ACM.

      [6] Coffrin, C., Corrin, L., de Barba, P. and Kennedy, G., 2014, March. Visualizing patterns of student engagement and performance in MOOCs. In Proceedings of the fourth international conference on learning analytics and knowledge (pp. 83-92). ACM.

      [7] Cornillie F, Clarebout G, Desmet P. Between learning and playing? Exploring learners’ perceptions of corrective feedback in an immersive game for English pragmatics. ReCALL. 2012 Sep;24(3):257-78.

      [8] De Freitas SI, Morgan J, Gibson D. Will MOOCs transform learning and teaching in higher education? Engagement and course retention in online learning provision. British Journal of Educational Technology. 2015 May;46(3):455-71.

      [9] Denny P. The effect of virtual achievements on student engagement. InProceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems 2013 Apr 27 (pp. 763-772). ACM.

      [10] DiSessa AA, Sherin BL. Meta-representation: An introduction. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior. 2000 Dec.

      [11] Drouin, M.A., 2008. The Relationship Between Students' Perceived Sense of Community and Satisfaction, Achievement, and Retention in an Online Course. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 9(3).

      [12] Durksen, T. L., Chu, M. W., Ahmad, Z. F., Radil, A. I., & Daniels, L. M. (2016). Motivation in a MOOC: a probabilistic analysis of online learners’ basic psychological needs. Social Psychology of Education, 19(2), 241-260.

      [13] Fisher M, Baird DE. Online learning design that fosters student support, self-regulation, and retention. Campus-wide information systems. 2005 Apr 1;22(2):88-107.

      [14] Freiermuth MR. Internet chat: Collaborating and learning via eâ€conversations. TESOL Journal. 2002 Sep;11(3):36-40.

      [15] Gee JP. What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Computers in Entertainment (CIE). 2003 Oct 1;1(1).

      [16] Herbert M. Staying the course: A study in online student satisfaction and retention. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. 2006 Dec 15;9(4):300-17.

      [17] Hone KS, El Said GR. Exploring the factors affecting MOOC retention: A survey study. Computers & Education. 2016 Jul 1;98:157-68.

      [18] Islam R, Islam R, Mazumder T. Mobile application and its global impact. International Journal of Engineering & Technology (IJET). 2010 Dec;10(6):72-8.

      [19] James S, Swan K, Daston C. Retention, Progression and the Taking of Online Courses. Online Learning. 2016 Jun;20(2):75-96.

      [20] Koller, D., Ng, A., Do, C., & Chen, Z. (2013). Retention and intention in massive open online courses: In depth. Educause review, 48(3), 62-63.

      [21] Morris LV, Wu SS, Finnegan CL. Predicting retention in online general education courses. The American Journal of Distance Education. 2005 Mar 1;19(1):23-36.

      [22] Laufer B, Hulstijn J. Incidental vocabulary acquisition in a second language: The construct of task-induced involvement. Applied linguistics. 2001 Mar 1;22(1):1-26.

      [23] Liu SY, Gomez J, Yen CJ. Community college online course retention and final grade: Predictability of social presence. Journal of Interactive Online Learning. 2009;8(2).

      [24] Morris LV, Wu SS, Finnegan CL. Predicting retention in online general education courses. The American Journal of Distance Education. 2005 Mar 1;19(1):23-36.

      [25] Norman, H., Din, R., Nordin, N., Manaf, S.Z. and Hamdan, A., 2013, June. Shifting the role of peers and instructors towards student-centered learning in mobile Web 2.0 learning environment. In Regional Conference on School Strcutre and Teacher Competence, Duties and Character (RECSTec 2013) (pp. 27-28).

      [26] Norman H, Dogan H, Nordin N, Mahamod Z, Halim L. An Asia-Europe Massive Open Online Course for Lecturer Training: Development of Pedagogical Strategies for MOOCs. InSeminar Kebangsaan Majlis Dekan-Dekan Pendidikan Universiti Awam Malaysia 2015 2015 Sep 1.

      [27] Norman H, Nordin N, Din R, Ally M, Dogan H. Exploring the roles of social participation in mobile social media learning: A social network analysis. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. 2015 Nov 2;16(4).

      [28] Norman, H., Nordin, N., Din, R., Ally, M., & Dogan, H. (2015). Exploring the roles of social participation in mobile social media learning: A social network analysis. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(4).

      [29] Nordin, N., Norman, H., Embi, M. A., Mansor, A. Z., & Idris, F. (2016). Factors for Development of Learning Content and Task for MOOCs in an Asian Context. International Education Studies, 9(5), 48-61.

      [30] Van Es EA, Sherin MG. Learning to notice: Scaffolding new teachers’ interpretations of classroom interactions. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. 2002;10(4):571-96.

      [31] Yunus, M. M., Hashim, H., Ahmad, A. R., Sulaiman, N. A., Fadzila, A. S., Nurfitri, A., ... & Hasmirah, N. (2018). MOOC as a Platform for Developing Writing Skills: Effectiveness and Challenges. Advanced Science Letters, 24(1), 199-201.

      [32] Zakaria, N. Y. K., Yunus, M. Animoto: Perception and Attitude of Secondary School Students` In Enhancing Speaking Skills Seminar Pendidikan

  • Downloads

  • How to Cite

    Yasmin Khairani Zakaria, N., Norman, H., Md Yunus, M., Hashim, H., & Nordin, N. (2018). A Learning Analytics View on Dispersion of Learning in MOOCs. International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 7(4.21), 7-10. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i4.21.21606

    Received date: 2018-11-26

    Accepted date: 2018-11-26

    Published date: 2018-11-26