campusreview. com. au
NEWS
MOOCs with benefits
Coursera survey finds that majority of participants gain from online courses.
Those who enrol in and complete MOOCs are getting a genuine return on their time and effort, a survey has found.
An online poll of about 52,000 people who had completed at least one MOOC through provider Coursera has provided researchers with what they argue is an unprecedented insight into the impact of the education platform, as well as the motivations behind students’ decision to sign up. Almost three-quarters of MOOC participants in the survey reported career benefits and nearly two-thirds reported educational gains.
The survey results, recently published in the Harvard Business Review, were compiled by a team including three Coursera staff members as well as researchers from the universities of Pennsylvania and Washington.
While the team conceded that overall completion rates for MOOCs were low – just 4 per cent of those who sign up and watch at least one course lecture on a Coursera MOOC go on to complete their course and gain a credential – they found that for those who saw their courses through, the benefits were real.
“ The vast majority of learners who complete open online courses are reporting career advancement( 72 per cent) or educational advancement( 61 per cent),” Coursera wrote of the study on its website.
“ These reported outcomes were considerably greater among learners who cited career or educational advancement as their primary motivation for enrolling in online courses.”
Coursera president Daphne Koller – who was one of the report’ s authors – said the survey enabled the industry to begin seeing“ the positive impact open online learning already has had on so many people around the globe, and noticeably for those seeking a boost for their careers”.
“ What’ s more, tangible benefits are reported at an even higher rate among learners from emerging economies, in lower-SES brackets and from other non-traditional education backgrounds, signalling that MOOCs are able to help those with great need.” ■
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