Research articles

Factors for Success and Course Completion in Massive Open Online Courses through the Lens of Participant Types

Authors:

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the factors for success and course completion through the lens of participants in a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) system implemented in Turkey. Thirty-two participants were selected on the basis of purposive sampling among 5000 enrolled users from 10 MOOCs, who were then classified into 3 types –lurking, moderately active, memorably active– based on their participation rate in the course activities. The data were collected via the use of two semi-structured interviews. According to the findings, the factors for success in MOOCs to the participants were divided into three categories: instructor effectiveness, course design, and personal factors. As to the factors for course completion, the categories identified were the instructor, course design, personal factors, technical issues, and affordability/clarity. The findings regarding success and course completion were discussed in detail and recommendations were provided to enhance participation in MOOCs.

Keywords:

open and distance educationmassive open online courses (MOOCs)success factorscourse completion
  • Year: 2020
  • Volume: 12 Issue: 2
  • Page/Article: 223-239
  • DOI: 10.5944/openpraxis.12.2.1067
  • Submitted on 23 Nov 2019
  • Accepted on 30 Apr 2020
  • Published on 30 Jun 2019
  • Peer Reviewed