Participation patterns in a massive open online course (MOOC) about statistics

Abstract A massive open online course (MOOC) was designed to provide an introduction to statistics used in educational research and evaluation. The purpose of this research was to explore people's motivations for joining and participating in a MOOC and their behaviors and patterns of participation within the MOOC. Also studied were factors that the participants reported for completing or not completing the MOOC and what they perceive as criteria for quality in an online course. Participants also expressed their opinions about what they perceive as a reasonable balance between access to, cost, and quality of MOOCs. This study used a descriptive research design involving survey, quiz, and participation data. A total of 5079 people enrolled in the MOOC across six sections. When viewed from the point of view of the participants, the results suggest that even highly structured, instructionist MOOCs can offer flexible learning environments for participants with varied goals and needs.