Sixteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge & Society

Abstract

Since the University of Illinois partnered with Coursera in 2013 it has seen over 1.55 million enrollments in over 125 open courses, as well as the development of multiple online graduate-level degree programs. Yet online distance education includes potential drawbacks such as limited communication and feelings of separation from instructors and peers which may lead to an increased likelihood of dropping out. The use of communication tools may help reduce these challenges. As part of my doctoral research into communication patterns within Coursera MOOC courses I surveyed over 2600 learners who had been enrolled in ten University of Illinois MOOC courses across five course subject areas between January 2017 to December 2018. Survey participants were asked if they communicated with other learners, community mentors, instructors, and/or others outside the course, how and why they communicated, and what the instructors’ expectations for communication were. The study explored whether communication between and among learners, community mentors, and instructors was important to learner satisfaction and success. It also identified what kinds of communication learners valued, and what kinds of in-course and non-course communication tools they used most frequently. Finally, it established whether learners valued different tools for different purposes. Overall, although not all learners may want their learning experience to be a social one, many do, and feel that not enough is currently being done to enable it. This suggests that making changes to enable more social learning would be a pedagogically-supported way to help learners persist and succeed in the course.