EAPSI: Investigating the Convergence between Engagement Patterns, User Perceptions, and Course Outcomes in Science Massive Open Online Courses

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Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) open up an opportunity to extend educational access to a diverse range of people. However, the opportunity presented by MOOCs may also exacerbate currently existing educational gaps by engaging only motivated students whose goals align with the course design. With digital instruction becoming increasingly popular, there is an increasing need to understand both instructors' and students' interpretation of the online learning environment. This study aims to uncover ways to better support learners in digital environments through an investigation of how learners use and perceive MOOCs. The investigation will be informed by usage data and interviews with Japanese students. Given that most studies on MOOCs have been conducted in North America, this study will address the need for more evidence overseas in order to highlight the extent that MOOCs are interpreted in the same manner beyond the borders of the institution delivering the course.This study will look specifically at single-platform MOOCs, which more closely resemble traditional approaches to education rather than multi-platform connectivist experiences. This study will use both cluster analysis and sequential pattern mining to find usage patterns that characterize the work of strong and weak students, as defined by the quality of written work in forum and assignment participation. The researcher will be engaged in ongoing discussions with each course instructor to ensure that ratings of students' work align with instructor categorizations of quality (high, moderate, or low). Semi-structured interviews with both the instructors and the students will inform the whether the emergent categories of usage patterns after consistent between both instructor expectations and student perceptions. From the emerging patterns and interviews, this study will draw a cross-cultural comparison to existing empirical results on North American MOOCs. If the same usage patterns are found, then this study suggests a consistent theme for MOOCs. If this study yields different results, then the findings suggest alternative approaches to MOOCs and online courses.This award, under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program, supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.