Abstracts
Abstract
Since the first offering of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in 2008, the body of literature on this new phenomenon of open learning has grown tremendously. In this regard, this article intends to identify and map patterns in research on MOOCs by reviewing 362 empirical articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 2008 to 2015. For the purposes of this study, a text-mining tool was used to analyse the content of the published research journal articles and to reveal the major themes and concepts covered in the publications. The findings reveal that the MOOC literature generally focuses on four lines of research: (a) the potential and challenges of MOOCs for universities; (b) MOOC platforms; (c) learners and content in MOOCs; and (d) the quality of MOOCs and instructional design issues. Prospective researchers may use these results to gain an overview of this emerging field, as well as to explore potential research directions.
Keywords:
- distance education,
- open and distance learning,
- massive open online courses,
- MOOCs,
- content analysis
Download the article in PDF to read it.
Download
Appendices
Bibliography
- Adham, R. S., & Lundqvist, K. O. (2015). MOOCs as a method of distance education in the Arab world - A review paper. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 18(1), 123-139. doi: 10.1515/eurodl-2015-0009
- Admiraal, W., Huisman, B., & Van de Ven, M. (2014). Self- and peer assessment in massive open online courses. International Journal of Higher Education, 3(3), 119-128. doi: 10.5430/ijhe.v3n3p119
- Ahn, J., Butler, B. S., Alam, A., & Webster, S. A. (2013). Learner participation and engagement in open online courses: Insights from the Peer 2 Peer University. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 160-171.
- Aleman de la Garza, L., Sancho Vinuesa, T., & Gomez Zermeño, M. G. (2015). Indicators of pedagogical quality for the design of a massive open online course for teacher training. RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 12(1), 104-118. doi: 10.7238/rusc.v12i1.2260
- Atenas, J. (2015). Model for democratisation of the contents hosted in MOOCs. RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 12(1), 3-14. doi: 10.7238/rusc.v12i1.2031
- Bartolomé-Pina, A. R., & Steffens, K. (2015). Are MOOCs promising learning environments? Communicar, 22(44), 91-99.
- Bozkurt, A., Akgün-Özbek, E., & Zawacki-Richter, O. (2017). Trends and patterns in massive open online courses: Review and content analysis of research on MOOCs (2008-2015). The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(5), 118-147. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v18i5.3080
- Bozkurt, A., Kilgore, W., & Crosslin, M. (2018). Bot-teachers in hybrid massive open online courses (MOOCs): A post-humanist experience. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 34(3), 39-59.
- Bozkurt, A., Özdamar Keskin, N., & de Waard, I. (2016). Research trends in massive open online course (MOOC) theses and dissertations: Surfing the tsunami wave. Open Praxis, 8(3), 203-221.
- Bulfin, S., Pangrazio, L., & Selwyn, N. (2014). Making MOOCs: The construction of a new digital higher education within news media discourse. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(5), 291-305. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v15i5.1856
- Calonge, D., & Shah, M. (2016). MOOCs, graduate skills gaps, and employability: A qualitative systematic review of the literature. The International Review of Research in Open And Distributed Learning, 17(5), 67-90. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v17i5.2675
- Chen, Y. (2014). Investigating MOOCs through blog mining. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(2), 85-106. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v15i2.1695
- Clinnin, K. (2014). Redefining the MOOC: Examining the multilingual and community potential of massive online courses. Journal of Global Literacies, Technologies, and Emerging Pedagogies, 2(3), 140-162.
- Conole, G. (2015). Designing effective MOOCs. Educational Media International, 52(4), 239-252. doi: 10.1080/09523987.2015.1125989
- Cormier, D. (2010, December 8). What is a MOOC? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc
- Creelman, A., Ehlers, U., & Ossiannilsson, E. (2014). Perspectives on MOOC quality: An account of the EFQUEL MOOC Quality Project. International Journal for Innovation and Quality in Learning, 2(3), 78-87.
- Cretchley, J., Rooney, D., & Galois, C. (2010). Mapping a 40-Year history with leximancer: Themes and concepts in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 41(3), 318-328.
- Daniel, J. (1998). Can you get my hard nose in focus? Universities, mass education and appropriate technology. In M. Eisenstadt & T. Vincent (Eds.), The knowledge web - learning and collaborating on the net (pp. 21-29). London: Kogan Page.
- Daza, V., Makriyannis, N., & Rovira Riera, C. (2013). MOOC attack: Closing the gap between pre-university and university mathematics. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 28(3), 227-238. doi: 10.1080/02680513.2013.872558
- Deimann, M. (2015). The dark side of the MOOC: A critical inquiry on their claims and realities. Current Issues in Emerging eLearning, 2(1), 3.
- Diaz, V., Brown, M., & Pelletier, S. (2013). Learning and the massive open online course: A report on the ELI focus session [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI3029.pdf
- Dodson, M. N., Kitburi, K., & Berge, Z. L. (2015). Possibilities for MOOCs in corporate training and development. Performance Improvement, 54(10), 14-21. doi: 10.1002/pfi.21532
- Downes, S. (2012). Connectivism and connective knowledge: Essays on meaning and learning networks [PDF file]. National Research Council Canada. Retrieved from http://www.downes.ca/files/books/Connective_Knowledge-19May2012.pdf
- Ebben, M., & Murphy, J. S. (2014). Unpacking MOOC scholarly discourse: A review of nascent MOOC scholarship. Learning, Media and Technology, 39(3), 328-345. doi: 10.1080/17439884.2013.878352
- Fisk, K., Cherney, A., Hornsey, M., & Smith, A. (2012). Using computer-aided content analysis to map a research domain: A case study of institutional legitimacy in postconflict east timor. SAGE Open, 2(4). doi: http://doi.org/10.1177/2158244012467788
- Gasevic, D., Kovanovic, V., Joksimovic, S., & Siemens, G. (2014). Where is research on massive open online courses headed? A data analysis of the MOOC Research Initiative. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(5), 134-176. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v15i5.1954
- Gillani, N., & Eynon, R. (2014). Communication patterns in massively open online courses. The Internet and Higher Education, 23, 18-26. doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2014.05.004
- Goldenberg, S., & Grigel, F. (1991). Gender, science and methodological preferences. Social Science Information, 30(3), 429-443.
- Gough, D., Oliver, S., & Thomas, J. (Eds.). (2012). An introduction to systematic reviews. London; Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE.
- Gore, H. (2014). Massive open online courses (MOOCs) and their impact on academic library services: Exploring the issues and challenges. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 20(1), 4-28. doi: 10.1080/13614533.2013.851609
- Greene, J. A., Oswald, C. A., & Pomerantz, J. (2015). Predictors of retention and achievement in a massive open online course. American Educational Research Journal, 52(5), 925-955. doi: 10.3102/0002831215584621
- Harwood, I. A., Gapp, R. P., & Stewart, H. J. (2015). Cross-check for completeness: Exploring a novel use of Leximancer in a grounded theory study. The Qualitative Report, 20(7), 1029.
- Hew, K. F., & Cheung, W. S. (2014). Students' and instructors' use of massive open online courses (MOOCs): Motivations and challenges. Educational Research Review, 12, 45-58. doi: 10.1016/j.edurev.2014.05.001
- Kennedy, J. (2014). Characteristics of massive open online courses (MOOCs): A research review, 2009-2012. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 13(1), 1-16.
- Kovanovic, V., Joksimovic, S., Gasevic, D., Siemens, G., & Hatala, M. (2015). What public media reveals about MOOCs: A systematic analysis of news reports. British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(3), 510-527. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12277
- Krippendorf, K. (2013). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
- Li, Y., Zhang, M., Bonk, C. J., & Guo, N. (2015). Integrating MOOC and flipped classroom practice in a traditional undergraduate course: Students' experience and perceptions. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 10(6), 4. doi: 10.3991/ijet.v10i6.4708
- Lin, J., & Lee, S. T. (2012). Mapping 12 years of communication scholarship: themes and concepts in the Journal of Communication. In H.-H. Chen & G. Chowdhury (Eds.), The outreach of digital libraries: A globalized resource network (Vol. 7634, pp. 359-360). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-642-34752-8_53
- Liyanagunawardena, T., Adams, A., & Williams, S. (2013). MOOCs: A systematic study of the published literature 2008-2012. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 14(3), 202-227. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v14i3.1455
- Mahraj, K. (2012). Using information expertise to enhance massive open online courses. Public Services Quarterly, 8(4), 359-368. doi: 10.1080/15228959.2012.730415
- Margaryan, A., Bianco, M., & Littlejohn, A. (2015). Instructional quality of massive open online courses (MOOCs). Computers & Education, 80, 77-83. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2014.08.005
- Martin, F. G. (2012). Will massive open online courses change how we teach? Communications of the ACM, 55(8), 26-28. doi: 10.1145/2240236.2240246
- Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
- Mune, C. (2015). Massive open online librarianship: Emerging practices in response to MOOCs. Journal of Library and Information Services in Distance Learning, 9(1-2), 89-100. doi: 10.1080/1533290x.2014.946350
- Neuhaus, C., Feinbube, F., & Polze, A. (2014). A platform for interactive software experiments in massive open online courses. Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science, 18(1), 69-87.
- Ossiannilsson, E., Altinay, F., & Altinay, Z. (2016). Analysis of MOOCs practices from the perspective of learner experiences and quality culture. Educational Media International, 52(4), 272-283. 10.1080/09523987.2015.1125985
- Phan, T., McNeil, S. G., & Robin, B. R. (2016). Students' patterns of engagement and course performance in a massive open online course. Computers & Education, 95, 36-44. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2015.11.015
- Piedra, N., Chicaiza, J., López, J., & Tovar, E. (2015). Seeking open educational resources to compose massive open online courses in engineering education: An approach based on linked open data. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 21(5), 679-711.
- Porter, S. (2015). The economics of MOOCs: A sustainable future? The Bottom Line, 28(1/2), 52-62.
- Raffaghelli, J., Cucchiara, S., & Persico, D. (2015). Methodological approaches in MOOC research: Retracing the myth of Proteus. British Journal of Educational Technologies, 46(3), 488-509. doi: 10.1111/bjet.12279
- Read, T., & Rodrigo, C. (2014). Toward a quality model for UNED MOOCs. eLearning Papers, 37, 43-50.
- Roberts, G., Waite, M., Lovegrove, E. J., & Mackness, J. (2013). x v c: Hybridity in through and about MOOCs. In Creating a virtuous circle: Proceedings of OER13. Milton Keynes: The Open University, Support Centre for Open Resources in Education. Retrieved from https://www.medev.ac.uk/oer13/file/79/9/
- Rocio, V., Coelho, J., Caeiro, S., Nicolau, P., & Teixeira, A. (2015). iMOOC on climate change: Evaluation of a massive open online learning pilot experience. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(6), 152-173. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v16i6.2160
- Rodriguez, C. O. (2012). MOOCs and the AI-Stanford like courses: Two successful and distinct course formats for massive open online courses. European Journal of Open, Distance, and E-Learning, 15(2). Retrieved from http://www.eurodl.org/index.php?p=archives&year=2013&halfyear=2&article=516
- Rosewell, J., & Jansen, D. (2014). The OpenupEd quality label: Benchmarks for MOOCs. Innoqual: The International Journal for Innovation and Quality in Learning, 2(3), 88-100.
- Ross, J., Sinclair, C., Knox, J., & Macleod, H. (2014). Teacher experiences and academic identity: The missing components of MOOC pedagogy. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 57-69. Retrieved from http://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/files/17513228/JOLT_published.pdf
- Ruth, S. (2012). Can MOOCs and existing e-learning efficiency paradigms help reduce college costs? SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.2086689
- Sa'don, N. F., Alias, R. A., & Ohshima, N. (2014). Nascent research trends in MOOCs in higher educational institutions: A systematic literature review. 2014 International Conference on Web and Open Access to Learning (ICWOAL). doi: 10.1109/icwoal.2014.7009215
- Saadatdoost, R., Sim, A. T. H., Jafarkarimi, H., & Mei Hee, J. (2015). Exploring MOOC from education and Information Systems perspectives: A short literature review. Educational Review, 67(4), 505-518. doi: 10.1080/00131911.2015.1058748
- Sangrà, A., González-Sanmamed, M., & Anderson, T. (2015). Meta-analysis of the research about MOOCs during 2013-2014. Educación XX1, 18(2), 1-28. doi: 10.5944/educxx1.14808
- Shen, C. W., & Kuo, C. J. (2015). Learning in massive open online courses: Evidence from social media mining. Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 568-577. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.066
- Smith, A. E., & Humphreys, M. S. (2006). Evaluation of unsupervised semantic mapping of natural language with Leximancer concept mapping. Behavior Research Methods, 38(2), 262-279. 10.3758/bf03192778
- Stevanovic, N. (2014). Effects of motivation on performance of students in MOOC. Paper presented at Sinteza 2014 - Impact of the Internet on Business Activities in Serbia and Worldwide. Serbia. doi: 10.15308/sinteza-2014-418-422
- Stöter, J., Bullen, M., Zawacki-Richter, O., & von Prümmer, C. (2014). From the back door into the mainstream - the characteristics of lifelong learners. In O. Zawacki-Richter & T. Anderson (Eds.), Online distance education - Towards a research agenda (pp. 421-457). Edmonton, Canada: Athabasca University Press.
- Tait, A. (2008). What are open universities for? Open Learning: The Journal of Open and Distance Learning, 23(2), 85-93. doi: 10.1080/02680510802051871
- Veletsianos, G., & Shepherdson, P. (2015). Who studies MOOCs? Interdisciplinarity in MOOC research and its changes over time. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(3), 1-17. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v16i3.2202
- Veletsianos, G., & Shepherdson, P. (2016). A systematic analysis and synthesis of the empirical MOOC literature published in 2013-2015. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 17(2), 198-221. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v17i2.2448
- Waite, M., Mackness, J., Roberts, G., & Lovegrove, E. (2013). Liminal participants and skilled orienteers: Learner participation in a MOOC for new lecturers. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 200. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol9no2/waite_0613.htm
- Weller, M. (2014). The battle for open: How openness won and why it doesn't feel like victory. Ubiquity Press. Retrieved from http://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=533876
- Yang, Q. (2014). Students' motivation in asynchronous online discussions with MOOC mode. American Journal of Educational Research, 2(5), 325-330. doi: 10.12691/education-2-5-13
- Yuan, M., & Recker, M. (2015). Not all rubrics are equal: A review of rubrics for evaluating the quality of open educational resources. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(5), 16-38.
- Zawacki-Richter, O., & Anderson, T. (Eds.). (2014). Online distance education - towards a research agenda. Edmonton, Canada: Athabasca University Press. doi: 10.15215/aupress/9781927356623.01
- Zawacki-Richter, O., & Naidu, S. (2016). Mapping research trends from 35 years of publications in Distance Education. Distance Education, 37(3), 245-269. 10.1080/01587919.2016.1185079
- Zawacki-Richter, O., Bäcker, E. M., & Vogt, S. (2009). Review of distance education research (2000 to 2008) - analysis of research areas, methods, and authorship patterns. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(6), 21-50.
- Zutshi, S., O'Hare, S., & Rodafinos, A. (2013). Experiences in MOOCs: The perspective of students. American Journal of Distance Education, 27(4), 218-227. doi: 10.1080/08923647.2013.838067