Internet Learning Volume 4, Number 2, Fall 2015 | Page 65

Internet Learning
Discussion
The researchers of this study
examined the responses of over 390
current faculty members in a wellknown
university system regarding their
perceptions of the benefits of MOOCs.
Some respondents also included unsolicited
drawbacks associated with MOOCs. The
study’s results were not only consistent with
the growing literature base, but also offered
insight as to areas of needed professional
development for faculty members and future
research especially by human resource
development scholars and practitioners
engaged in virtual learning research and
training. Through systematic data analysis,
two over-arching perceptions of MOOC
benefits emerged: benefits to students and
benefits to the sponsoring institution and
programs within the institutions.
A rich base of literature exists
outlining the benefits of MOOCs for
students (Rodriguez, 2012; Becker, 2013;
Mallon, 2013). In this study, faculty
members noted students value the
accessibility to high quality resources
and education, otherwise unavailable at
the local university or perhaps in their
entire country. This powerful benefit
was also noted in a study by Tamburri
(2014). The peda-gogical application of
synchronous and asynchronous digital
tools creates a rich personal learning
community for students in institutions of
higher learning. In the case of industry
where HRD practitioners provide training
and continuing professional education,
MOOCs should be of great benefit to
both trainees and trainers. In the case of
cMOOCs, as students connect with other
learners, and engage in learning together,
they become vested in the knowledge
creation process. They work to sustain the
established learning network and gain new
perspectives from their peers. Kahu (2014)
noted that when students become vested in
this manner, they exponentially improve
their understanding of the content being
learned.
Flexibility of class time was another
benefit faculty members emphasized.
MOOCs allow the students to participate
in learning experiences at the time of day
they learn best, therefore they begin the
course automatically self-regulating their
learning experiences. As with other online
course environments, time management
and organizational abilities are required for
successful participation in a MOOC. As
students determine when they participate
in the MOOC, these skills will continually
improve the students’ optimal learning
threshold. Jensen’s (2005) work supports
these noted benefits of class time flexibility.
The self-paced, no grade-pressure
nature of a MOOC may be especially
appealing for many students, as noted by
faculty members in this study. Unlike a
traditional online course, these courses
may be offered at no financial expense to
the student. Another unique feature of
the MOOC, its ‘openness,’ allows students
different types of learning opportunities.
Students can participate in the full
course for credit, audit the course with
no intention of completing assignments
for credit (Kizilcec, Piech, & Schneider,
2013), or engage in only a targeted area to
gain knowledge about a particular topic
(Mallon, 2013; Wang & Baker, 2014). These
options of enrolling in a MOOC with no
intention of completing the full course for
credit may contribute to the concern of
low MOOC completion rates. The novel
student participation features associated
with MOOCs challenge the traditional
view of course persistence rates, resulting
in completion rate data that may not be an
accurate measure of a course’s effectiveness.
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