Learner engagement, retention and success: why size matters in massive open online courses (MOOCs)

Figures & data

Figure 1. Versions of the Study Skills MOOC

Table 1. Participants in versions 1 and 2 of the MOOC

	Version 1 Study Skills	Version 2
		Introduction to Study Skills	Development of Academic Skills
People enrolled	323	229	208
Respondents of initial survey	111	124	91
Gender*
Male	40%	52%	51%
Female	60%	48%	49%
Median years of age*	25	21	21
Educational level*
Baccalaureate	12%	2%	2%
Undergraduate	59%	95%	93%
Graduate	11%	2%	4%
Main occupation*
Student	48%	84%	87%
Employee	47%	10%	11%
Other	5%	6%	2%
Country*
Mexico	56%	92%	93%
Colombia	35%	3%	2%
Other	9%	5%	5%

* These data correspond to initial survey answers.

Table 2. Active participants

	Version 1: single six-week course	Version 2: two three-week blocks
	Study Skills	Introduction to Study Skills	Development of Academic Skills	Both Blocks
Enrolled participants	323	229	208	134
Participants who posted at least one message	125	129	94	107
Participants who completed a multiple-choice exercise or survey	119	124	82	103
Active participants	141	132	95	110
Percentage of active participants	43.65	57.64	45.67	82.09

Note. Active participants are those who did at least one of the following: completed a multiple-choice exercise, answered a survey or posted at least one message. Welcome and wrap-up activities were excluded from data and related calculations. Data referring to both blocks of Version 2 include participants who enrolled in the Introduction to Study Skills and the Development of Academic Skills MOOCs.

Figure 2. Content views

The number of active participants varies in Version 2, as each block had a different number of enrolments and not necessarily the same users. The dotted line indicates the division between blocks in Version 2.

Table 3. Messages posted

	Version 1: single six-week course		Version 2: two three-week blocks
Lesson	Messages	Per active participant (n = 141)	Messages	Per active participant (n = 110)
Managing time effectively	641	4.55	1230	11.18
Taking effective notes	526	3.73	1395	12.68
Searching for reliable information	355	2.52	1194	10.85
Understanding academic texts	174	1.23	757	6.88
Using APA format	66	0.47	292	2.65
Writing academically	128	0.91	518	4.71
Total	2133	15.13	5386	48.96

Note. The total number of messages excludes those posted in the welcome and wrap-up activities. Including them would artificially increase the number of messages sent in Version 2, as it had four of these activities whereas Version 1 only had two. In addition, active participants in Version 2 only include those enrolled in both blocks.

Table 4. Completion rate

	Version 1: single six-week course (n = 141)	Version 2: two three-week blocks (n = 110)
Certificates of participation achieved	22	68
Completion rate between active participants (%)	15.60	61.82

Figure 3. Participation and retention throughout MOOC delivery

Participation consisted of posting messages, attempting the multiple-choice exercises or answering surveys. Welcome and wrap-up activities were excluded from data and related calculations. The dotted line indicates the division between blocks in Version 2.

Table 5. General self-efficacy before and after the MOOCs

	Version 1: single six-week course (n = 32)	Version 2: two three-week blocks
		Introduction to Study Skills (n = 78)	Development of Academic Skills (n = 71)	Both Blocks (n = 60)
Initial	x̅ = 3.48, s.d. = 0.30	x̅ = 3.32, s.d. = 0.38	x̅ = 3.42, s.d. = 0.40	x̅ = 3.35, s.d. = 0.37
Final	x̅ = 3.70, s.d. = 0.38	x̅ = 3.60, s.d. = 0.31	x̅ = 3.64, s.d. = 0.36	x̅ = 3.65, s.d = 0.36
Wilcoxon Test	Z = −2.82, p = 0.005	Z = −4.18, p = 0.000	Z = −3.36, p = 0.001	Z = −4.35, p = 0.000

Note. The maximum general self-efficacy mean possible was 4. Data of both blocks in Version 2 include only the measures taken in the first and sixth lesson provided by the same participants.

Table 6. Study skills’ self-efficacy before and after the MOOCs

	Version 1: single six-week course (n = 32)			Version 2: two three-week blocks (*n = 78; **n = 71)
Self-efficacy in relation to	Initial	Final	Wilcoxon test	Initial	Final	Wilcoxon test
Managing time effectively*	x̅ = 3.38, s.d. = 1.10	x̅ = 4.00, s.d. = 0.67	Z = −2.40, p = 0.016	x̅ = 3.01, s.d. = 0.92	x̅ = 3.84, s.d. = 0.59	Z = −4.93, p = 0.000
Taking effective notes*	x̅ = 3.41, s.d. = 1.04	x̅ = 4.13, s.d. = 0.71	Z = −2.73, p = 0.006	x̅ = 3.41, s.d. = 0.80	x̅ = 4.06, s.d. = 0.69	Z = −4.48, p = 0.000
Searching for reliable information*	x̅ = 3.88, s.d. = 0.94	x̅ = 4.34, s.d. = 0.65	Z = −1.86, p = 0.059	x̅ = 3.65, s.d. = 0.83	x̅ = 4.29, s.d. = 0.58	Z = −4.64, p = 0.000
Understanding academic texts**	x̅ = 3.28, s.d. = 0.92	x̅ = 3.94, s.d. = 0.80	Z = −2.74, p = 0.006	x̅ = 3.76, s.d. = 0.57	x̅ = 4.13, s.d. = 0.53	Z = −3.14, p = 0.002
Using APA format**	x̅ = 2.91, s.d. = 1.00	x̅ = 3.78, s.d. = 0.83	Z = −2.85, p = 0.004	x̅ = 3.30, s.d. = 0.88	x̅ = 3.94, s.d. = 0.67	Z = −4.10, p = 0.000
Writing academically**	x̅ = 3.34, s.d. = 0.75	x̅ = 4.06, s.d. = 0.80	Z = −2.71, p = 0.007	x̅ = 3.25, s.d. = 0.75	x̅ = 3.83, s.d. = 0.68	Z = −4.07, p = 0.000

Note. The sample varies in Version 2, as the surveys available in each block had a different number of respondents.

Table 7. Key themes in participants’ comments

	Version 1: single six-week course (n = 32)	Version 2: two three-week blocks
		Introduction to Study Skills (n = 78)	Development of Academic Skills (n = 71)
Participants who left optional comments (initial vs final)	18 (56.25%) 15 (46.88%)	48 (61.54%) 52 (66.67%)	34 (47.89%) 50 (70.42%)
Initial survey: themes	Challenges Coping strategies Academic strengths Course expectations	Challenges Coping strategies Academic strengths Course expectations	Challenges Academic strengths Course expectations Coping strategies References to previous course
Final survey: themes	Learning Appreciation Benefits	Benefits Appreciation Learning Meaningfulness Suggestions Relevance of interactions with peers	Appreciation Benefits Learning Suggestions References to previous course Meaningfulness Relevance of interactions with peers

Note. Themes are shown in order of relevance (most relevant at the top).

Figure 4. Word clouds of participants’ comments created with Wordle