"Houston, we have a problem": Revealing MOOC practitioners' experiences regarding feedback provision to learners facing difficulties. Issue 4 (12th November 2020) - Topali, Paraskevi
Abstract: In spite of the high impact of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), learners frequently disengage from the course contents and activities due to unexpected problems of different natures, such as content‐related or technical issues. Feedback has been identified as an important aspect of the learning process directly connected with learners' engagement. However, the massive and impersonal nature of MOOCs hinders the provision of efficient and timely feedback to those learners facing problems. This paper examines how MOOC practitioners identify and support learners facing problems, what challenges they encounter, and what strategies they apply to overcome such challenges. Additionally, the current study aims to compare the learners' problems and practitioners' experiences between engineering‐related and nonengineering related MOOCs. A qualitative phenomenological study has been conducted through semistructured interviews with 14 MOOC practitioners. The evidence gathered shows diverse learners' and practitioners' problems shared among engineering and nonengineering courses and a general concern on how to address individual learners' needs in time. A common practice of problem identification regards checking the self‐reported issues in communication forums. Identification strategies with the use of learning analytics are limited due to platform restrictions or lack of practitioners' skills in interpreting the provided information. The synthesis of MOOC practitioners from both engineering and nonengineering disciplines may provide insights that are either globally applicable to all disciplines or specific to engineering. The results could be shaped into conceptual and technological solutions to help MOOC stakeholders (e.g., researchers, practitioners) identify potential learners facing difficulties and support them during the course process.