What's Structure Got to Do With It: Comparing Forum Activity Between Self-Paced and Instructor-Paced MOOCs

• In Event: In Quest of a Better Understanding of Online Participation and Interaction

Abstract

This research study examines the influence the structure of a massive open online course (MOOC), whether it is self-paced or time-bound, has on the development of cognitive presence in such courses. The research is informed by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model of Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2001), encompassing three domains— social, teaching, and cognitive presence— necessary for online learning. This study employs embedded multiple-case research design (Yin, 2014) to allow for a thorough understanding of the area of interest, specifically, cognitive presence in MOOCs. This study further seeks to explore ways in which automatic text analysis tools can aid in the analysis and subsequent identification of evidence of cognitive presence in MOOCs.

Author

• Rob Moore, North Carolina State University