Postgraduate Students’ Perception of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in Enhancing their Learning Experience

Faizah Abd Majid, Rafidah Kamarudin, Ainul Azmin Mohd Zamin

Abstract


MOOCs first became a phenomenon in the higher education landscape in 2008. Ever since, various researches have been conducted to explore the potential of MOOCs as an alternative in the learning and teaching process, and the way forward in delivering the courses effectively. Despite the growing interest in MOOCs applicability in higher education, very little is known about how postgraduate students perceive the use of MOOCs in their programme. Postgraduate students are synonymous with the concept of adult learners. One of the characteristics of adult learners is their motivation, which is driven by intrinsic and instrumental factors. As past research have concentrated on the undergraduates, this paper uncovers the postgraduates’ perceptions of MOOCs. A total of 51 respondents took part in a survey conducted in one of the Malaysian public universities. Quantitative data yielded findings similar to past research findings. However, what is new is the need for MOOC providers to cater to the needs of the postgraduate students who are adult learners particularly in determining the following; MOOCs’ attributes, learning process and learning outcomes. It is expected that the postgraduate students, their educators and the MOOC developers would find the findings helpful.

Keywords


Higher Education, MOOCs, Postgraduate Students

Full Text:

PDF

References


Calonge, D., & Shah, M. (2016). MOOCs, graduate skills gaps, and employability: A qualitative systematic review of the literature. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 17(5), 67-90. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v17i5.2675

Chen, Y. (2014). Investigating MOOCs through blog mining. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(2), 85-106. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v15i2.1695

Daza, V., Makriyannis, N., & Rovira Riera, C. (2013). MOOC attack: Closing the gap between pre-university and university mathematics. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 28(3), 227-238. doi: 10.1080/02680513.2013.872558

Fraenkel, J., Wallenn, N. & Hyun, N. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in education. New York: McGraw Hill

Knowles, M. (1990). Adult learners: a neglected species. Houstan: Gulf Publishing Co.

Li, Y., Zhang, M., Bonk, C. J., & Guo, N. (2015). Integrating MOOC and flipped classroom practice in a traditional undergraduate course: Students' experience and perceptions. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 10(6), 4. doi: 10.3991/ijet.v10i6.4708

Lindeman, E.C. (1926). The meaning of adult education. New York, NY: New Republic.

Merriam, Sharan B. (2001). Andragogy and Self-directed Learning: Pillars of Adult Learning Theory. In The New Update on Adult Learning Theory: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. No.89 (pp. 3-13). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Rogers, A. (2002). Teaching adults. Philadelphia: OUP.

Ossiannilsson, E., Altinay, F., & Altinay, Z. (2016). Analysis of MOOCs practices from the perspective of learner experiences and quality culture. Educational Media International, 52(4), 272-283. 10.1080/09523987.2015.1125985

Phan, T., McNeil, S. G., & Robin, B. R. (2016). Students' patterns of engagement and course performance in a massive open online course. Computers & Education, 95, 36-44. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2015.11.015

Ritt, Elizabeth. (2008). Redefining Tradition: Adult Learners and Higher Education. In Adult Learning 19(1/2), 12–16.

Roos-Gordon, J. (2013). Research on adult learners: supporting the needs of a student population that is no longer nontraditional. In Peer Review. Vol 13 (1). Available online: https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/research-adult-learners-supporting-needs-student-population-no

Saadatdoost, R., Sim, A. T. H., Jafarkarimi, H., & Mei Hee, J. (2015). Exploring MOOC from education and Information Systems perspectives: A short literature review. Educational Review, 67(4), 505-518. doi: 10.1080/00131911.2015.1058748

Siti Nor Amira, B., Munira, M, & Nur Hana, M. (2013). Challenges of adult learners: a case study of full-time postgraduate students. In Procedia Social and Behavioral Science, 90. pp 772-781. (available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273086363_Challenges_of_Adult_Learners_A_Case_Study_of_Full_Time_Postgraduates_Students)

Stevanovic, N. (2014). Effects of motivation on performance of students in MOOC. Paper presented at Sinteza 2014 - Impact of the Internet on Business Activities in Serbia and Worldwide. Serbia. doi: 10.15308/sinteza-2014-418-422

Tait, A. (2008). What are open universities for? Open Learning: The Journal of Open and Distance Learning, 23(2), 85-93. doi: 10.1080/02680510802051871

Yang, Q. (2014). Students' motivation in asynchronous online discussions with MOOC mode. American Journal of Educational Research, 2(5), 325-330. doi: 10.12691/education-2-5-13

Zawacki-Richter, O., Bozkurt, A., Alturki, O., & Aldraiweesh, A. (2018). What research says about MOOCs: An explorative content analysis. Available online: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/3356/4490 February - 2018

Zutshi, S., O'Hare, S., & Rodafinos, A. (2013). Experiences in MOOCs: The perspective of students. American Journal of Distance Education, 27(4), 218-227. doi: 10.1080/08923647.2013.838067




DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.7n.4p.101

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

2013-2024 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD.

International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies  

You may require to add the 'aiac.org.au' domain to your e-mail 'safe list’ If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox'. Otherwise, you may check your 'Spam mail' or 'junk mail' folders.