From One-Size-Fits-All to Individualisation: Redefining MOOCs through Flexible Learning Paths

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a popular form of online education that often attracts a huge and heterogeneous group of learners with diverse interests and backgrounds. However, most MOOCs follow a one-size-fits-all approach, providing a fixed order of learning materials and expecting all learners to follow this recommended path. Thus, they neither motivate nor support their learners in adapting the courses to their individual preferences. In the work at hand, we tackle this issue by introducing and evaluating the concept of flexible learning paths in MOOCs. We, therefore, establish a network of dependencies between course content, omit intermediate deadlines, and thereby rethink the way learners interact with the course. By presenting learners with a non-linear course format, we encourage them to create their individual learning paths based on instructor-defined dependencies and their personal interests. Our evaluation of flexible learning paths within a programming MOOC shows that learners chose many different learning paths. Despite achieving similar results in individual tasks compared to learners using the traditional course structure, they engaged with less course content, resulting in a slight decrease in their overall performance. This may indicate a lack of self-regulatory learning skills, with learners struggling to organise their work without instructor-given deadlines. However, the flexible course format significantly increased the motivation of learners. By introducing and evaluating the concept of flexible learning paths in MOOCs, this work provides valuable insights into the individualisation of online education.