The pedagogical foundations of massive open online courses

TLDR

Since 2011, MOOCs—characterised by short video lectures, formative quizzes, automated or peer assessment, and online discussion forums—have challenged traditional higher‑education roles and are claimed to rest on pedagogical foundations comparable to face‑to‑face university courses. The study aimed to validate claims that MOOCs are pedagogically sound by examining the literature for empirical evidence. The authors conducted a literature review to gather empirical evidence supporting these pedagogical claims. The review found limited direct evidence but concluded that MOOCs are at least as effective as face‑to‑face courses and may even improve learning outcomes in some aspects.

Abstract

In 2011, the respective roles of higher education institutions and students worldwide were brought into question by the rise of the massive open online course (MOOC). MOOCs are defined by signature characteristics that include: lectures formatted as short videos combined with formative quizzes; automated assessment and/or peer and self–assessment and an online forum for peer support and discussion. Although not specifically designed to optimise learning, claims have been made that MOOCs are based on sound pedagogical foundations that are at the very least comparable with courses offered by universities in face–to–face mode. To validate this, we examined the literature for empirical evidence substantiating such claims. Although empirical evidence directly related to MOOCs was difficult to find, the evidence suggests that there is no reason to believe that MOOCs are any less effective a learning experience than their face–to–face counterparts. Indeed, in some aspects, they may actually improve learning outcomes.