Massive Open Online Course Learner Subpopulations: A Person-Centric Analysis of Longitudinal Course Utilization Classes With Predicting Factors

• In Event: Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Online Teaching and Learning SIG Roundtable Session 2

Abstract

Answering the call for a person-centric analysis of MOOC participants, this study combines the latest advances in educational data mining with traditional psychological theory to classify and predict longitudinal course use in a professional development MOOC. First, course utilization is longitudinally operationalized and similar user trajectories are clustered to reveal distinct subpopulations of course use over time. Secondly, various demographic and self-reported motivations for entering the MOOC are used to predict class membership. This research forwards prior work by successfully linking pre-course demographics and motivations to distinct classes of MOOC users. Implications are discussed.  

Authors

• Isaac Benjamin Thompson, North Carolina State University

• Eric N. Wiebe, North Carolina State University

• Jim Creager, North Carolina State University

• Megan Frankosky, North Carolina State University