The influence of instructional design on learner control, sense of achievement, and perceived effectiveness in a supersize MOOC course. (January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jung, Eulho; Kim, Dongho; Yoon, Meehyun; Park, Sanghoon; Oakley, Barbara
• Is Part Of: Computers & education. Volume 128(2019)
• Page Start: 377
• Page End: 388
• Publication Date: 2019-01
• Subjects: MOOC design components -- Large-scale MOOC learner control -- Sense of progress -- Perceived effectiveness; Education -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Education -- Periodicals; Computers -- Periodicals; Computer-Assisted Instruction -- Periodicals; Éducation -- Informatique -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 370.285
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2018.10.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-1315

Abstract

Abstract: Responding to the lack of empirical studies on the effects of instructional design components on MOOCs, this study explores which instructional design components (e.g., course content, transactional interaction between student and content, structure/organization, assessment) influence learner control, sense of progress in the achievement of learning goals (sense of progress), and perceived effectiveness in a large-scale MOOC course called "Learning How to Learn" hosted in Coursera, a MOOC learning platform. Using an online survey distributed to learners who registered for the current Coursera English-language version of the course, we collected 1364 responses. Three separate hierarchical regression analyses revealed that all course design factors, transactional interaction between student and content ( β = . 111, p < 0.01; β = . 117, p < .01), structure ( β = . 432, p < 0.001; β = . 281, p < .001), and assessment ( β = . 108, p < 0.01; β = . 102, p < .05) were significant predictors of learner control and sense of progress. For perceived effectiveness, only transactional interaction ( β = . 073, p < 0.05) and structure ( β = . 416, p < 0.001) were significant while assessment was not statistically significant ( β = . 030, p = . 373 ). These findings provided empirical evidence that instructional components are critical predictors of student learning in MOOCs, which have been conceptualized as important factors in prior studies. Future research should focus on identifying effective and efficient ways to facilitate assessments as part of the learning process while accommodating personalized learning needs. Interpretations of the findings, discussions, and limitations are also addressed in this paper. Highlights: Instructional design is important for learner control, sense of progress, and perceived effectiveness in a MOOC course. Instructional design factors are stronger indicators for successful MOOC experiences than content and demographic factors. Assessment is not statistically significant for perceived effectiveness.