A Randomized Experiment Testing the Efficacy of a Scheduling Nudge in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). (October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Baker, Rachel; Evans, Brent; Dee, Thomas
• Is Part Of: AERA open. Volume 2:Number 4(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-10
• Subjects: educational policy -- experimental research -- higher education -- postsecondary education -- technology; Education -- Research -- Periodicals; 370.7205
• DOI: 10.1177/2332858416674007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2332-8584

Abstract

An increasing number of students are taking classes offered online through open-access platforms; however, the vast majority of students who start these classes do not finish. The incongruence of student intentions and subsequent engagement suggests that self-control is a major contributor to this stark lack of persistence. This study presents the results of a large-scale field experiment ( N = 18, 043) that examines the effects of a self-directed scheduling nudge designed to promote student persistence in a massive open online course. We find that random assignment to treatment had no effects on near-term engagement and weakly significant negative effects on longer-term course engagement, persistence, and performance. Interestingly, these negative effects are highly concentrated in two groups of students: those who registered close to the first day of class and those with .edu e-mail addresses. We consider several explanations for these findings and conclude that theoretically motivated interventions may interact with the diverse motivations of individual students in possibly unintended ways.