Supporting Massive Open Online Course Communities on Social Media: A Comparative Text Data-Mining Study in China

• In Event: Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: Motivation, Emotion, and Perception in Technology-Based Learning Environments

Abstract

This paper reviews China’s MOOC phenomenon and social media status, then reports a comparative, multiple-case study on various MOOC communities on China’s social media, utilizing text mining techniques in addition to traditional quantitative and qualitative data analyses. Selected MOOC communities included: China’s largest MOOC community, the first officially registered university student MOOC organization, and a fully online community for high school or younger MOOC learners. Data were collected through a variety of Chinese social media, social networking sites, news press, and Web- community portals, to study the varied MOOC communities and how they promoted MOOCs as well as supported MOOC learners and the broader community. Implications for research and practice of MOOC communities and global education are discussed.

Author

• Ke Zhang, Wayne State University