Understanding Chinese-speaking open courseware users: a case study on user engagement in an open courseware portal in Taiwan (Opensource Opencourse Prototype System)

Abstract

The open educational resource (OER) movement has reached a critical mass due to recent technology advancements. In Taiwan, to overcome the language barrier, the Opensource Opencourse Prototype System (OOPS) plays a significant role in enabling Chinese-speaking users to benefit from this global education movement. However, our understanding about who these users are and why they chose this particular venue to advance their knowledge remains obscure. This lack of understanding could prevent OOPS from creating an engaging open learning environment. This exploratory case study, based on over 2300 participants’ responses, offered a glimpse of OOPS users and their motives. The findings revealed a significant gender difference in OOPS technology adoption. Recommendations are made to better engage OOPS users, thus sustaining user participation.

Keywords:

• open educational resource
• open courseware
• user engagement
• motivation