Does Design and Delivery of a MOOC Determine its Quality: Learners’ Perception

Abstract

In nearly a decade old journey, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have emerged as a popular mode of learning. MOOCs have transformed the face of online education and gained momentum during Covid pandemic after 2020. Thousands of MOOCs are available across platforms. Coursera, Udacity, Edx, SWAYAM, Future-learn have emerged as popular MOOC providing platforms around the globe. Despite the huge number of courses and massive enrollment, there are debates about the quality of MOOCs. Researchers have identified various factors determining the quality of MOOC, but the focus of present research is to examine the role of design and delivery of MOOC as quality determinants. For this purpose, researchers have collected the date from 308 course participants, who have enrolled and completed the MOOC offered by one of the researchers. The data was collected after the course completion in the form of a post-course survey. Analysis of the data has revealed that most of the respondents were satisfied with the course content and the modules’ design. Finding highlighted the importance of presenting the content in small chunks, using only relevant videos, and provision of activities and opportunities to clear doubts. Collaborative learning opportunities and use of discussion forums as a platform for sharing ideas is very important in making any MOOC effective. The findings of study are providing insights to the MOOC developers and course-coordinators for designing and developing an effective MOOC.