Surfing on Three Waves of MOOCs: An Examination and Snapshot of Research in Massive Open Online Courses


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BOZKURT A.

OPEN PRAXIS, vol.13, no.3, pp.296-311, 2021 (ESCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 13 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.5944/openpraxis.13.3.132
  • Journal Name: OPEN PRAXIS
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), EBSCO Education Source, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Directory of Open Access Journals, DIALNET
  • Page Numbers: pp.296-311
  • Keywords: massive open online courses, MOOCs, online learning, distance education, lifelong learning, HIGHER-EDUCATION, LEARNING COMMUNITIES, SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS, SOCIAL MEDIA, MOTIVATIONS, ENGAGEMENT, STUDENTS, BEHAVIOR, MODEL, PERFORMANCE
  • Anadolu University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

y The purpose of this research is to examine the research that has been done on MOOCs by applying data mining and analytic approaches and to depict the current state of MOOC research. The text mining revealed four broad themes: (I) MOOCs as a mainstreaming learning model in HE, (II) motivation and engagement issues in MOOCs, (III) assessment issues in MOOCs, and (IV) MOOCs for social learning. The social network analysis indicated that MOOCs are a significant aspect of online education and that learning analytics are considered a solution to current MOOC handicaps. Both pivotal contribution analysis and timeline analysis demonstrated that MOOC research has a heavy focus on motivation and engagement, high drop out and low retention rates, and instructional quality. Overall, the research concludes that the first wave of MOOC research largely concentrated on the qualitative characteristics of the phenomenon, while the second and third waves of MOOC research concentrated on the quantitative characteristics.