Abstract
This systematic review on massive open online courses (MOOCs) in higher education examined the research on the assessment of learning outcomes based on 65 peer-reviewed articles published between 2017 and 2019. This study aims to investigate the learning outcomes, related instruments, and assessment characteristics of these instruments in MOOCs. Learning outcomes that were examined in the studies that were reviewed concerned cognitive, behavioral, and affective learning outcomes. Twenty-five types of assessment approaches were employed to examine these outcomes and to identify the assessment characteristics. The results indicate that a consideration of the assessment of learning outcomes at the beginning of course design could support the formulation of explicit assessment goals and, in this way, instruct learners to work toward learning outcomes. A combination of knowledge tests and skill tasks can be used to examine cognitive outcomes in a particular MOOC. Outcome-oriented feedback rubrics are beneficial to support learner essay performance and interpretations of the utilization of rubrics could better guide providers to give peer feedback. A variety of behavioral and affective outcomes reflect multiple aspects of participant learning in MOOCs, which might contribute to better understanding by teachers and the provision of learning support. Furthermore, assessment tasks throughout the course may differ in difficulty and complexity, which could align with different levels of learner motivation. The findings provide a holistic picture of learning outcomes and related assessment instruments in current MOOCs. Curriculum designers and teachers could benefit from this study to consider appropriate learning outcome variables and instruments to apply in their MOOC practices. Future research might investigate the motivation of learners to participate in a MOOC and how this changes during a MOOC. This could help MOOC designers and teachers to align how learners are motivated, what they want to learn, and what they actually do learn.
Highlights
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a form of online learning with a large student population, and, in most cases, offer free courses and open access
In our current review study, most of the studies reported the assessment of cognitive outcomes of massive open online courses (MOOCs), which might be caused by the fact that most of the positive or significant results are about cognitive outcomes
In this review study, learning outcomes were distinguished and various types of assessments in MOOCs were characterized
Summary
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a form of online learning with a large student population, and, in most cases, offer free courses and open access. Received 16 March 2020; Received in revised form 16 October 2020; Accepted 4 December 2020. MOOCs were originally oriented towards informal learning, the acceptance of MOOCs as part of formal campus education has been more recently addressed (Hendriks, de Jong, Admiraal, & Reinders, 2020). MOOCs as campus-like courses have been realized in various practices ranging from undergraduate to graduate education (Yuan, Powell, & Olivier, 2014). A variety of assessment methods naturally emerge to respond to the demand for measuring learning outcomes, with computer-graded tests and peer assessment the commonly adopted methods to recognize and accredit student learning (Admiraal, Huisman, & Pilli, 2015)
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