Instructional quality of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Margaryan, A., Bianco, M. and Littlejohn, A. (2015) Instructional quality of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Computers and Education, 80, pp. 77-83. (doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2014.08.005)

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Abstract

We present an analysis of instructional design quality of 76 randomly selected Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The quality of MOOCs was determined from first principles of instruction, using a course survey instrument. Two types of MOOCs (xMOOCs and cMOOCs) were analysed and their instructional design quality was assessed and compared. We found that the majority of MOOCs scored poorly on most instructional design principles. However, most MOOCs scored highly on organisation and presentation of course material. The results indicate that although most MOOCs are well-packaged, their instructional design quality is low. We outline implications for practice and ideas for future research.

Item Type:Articles
Keywords:Massive Online Open Courses, distributed learning environments, evaluation methodologies, lifelong learning, pedagogical issues.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Littlejohn, Professor Allison
Authors: Margaryan, A., Bianco, M., and Littlejohn, A.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education
Journal Name:Computers and Education
Publisher:Elsevier
ISSN:0360-1315
ISSN (Online):1873-782X
Published Online:26 August 2014

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