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Background Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are increasingly used in nursing education, attracting learners with diverse participation modes. Social learners (self-directed) enroll voluntarily based on personal interests, while academic learners (institution-directed) are mandated by nursing schools, with performance linked to grades. Existing literature shows that academic learners outperform social learners in MOOCs, but evidence is scarce on whether this performance gap stems from distinct participation patterns shaped by institutional requirements. Objective We sought to compare participation typologies between social and academic learners using latent class analysis (LCA) and assess their association with learning outcomes. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of 8222 students enrolled in a rehabilitation nursing MOOC from 2021 to 2022. Learners were classified by topic test participation frequency via LCA, and their distributions and scores were statistically compared. Results The cohort comprised 7683 (93.4%) academic and 539 (6.6%) social learners. LCA identified 3 participation types: participation-declining (93/8222, 1.1%), high-participation (6959/8222, 84.6%), and lowest-participation (1170/8222, 14.2%). The distributions of participation types differed significantly between groups (χ2=2745.1; df=2; P.05). Conclusions Distinct participation patterns were associated with the performance advantage of academic learners. Our findings highlight the importance of sustained participation, suggesting that MOOC instructors should provide enhanced support for voluntary learners.
Zeng et al. (Tue,) studied this question.