Investigation of Tendency among Instructors to Conduct a Massive Open Online Course: Case of Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the faculty members’ tendency to conduct a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and the factors affecting these tendencies. In this study, the sectional survey model, a quantitative research method, was used. The study group is comprised of 122 faculty members working at a major state university in Turkey and selected by using a random stratified sampling method. During the research process, the faculty members were informed about the MOOCs, and data were collected through questionnaires. According to the results of the research, 34.4% of the faculty members were willing to conduct MOOC and the main aim of teaching MOOC was to share their knowledge and experience with the masses. According to the faculty members, it is seen that it is more appropriate to conduct MOOC with expert and experienced faculty members. Factors such as providing benefits to corporate development and promotion, supporting lifelong learning, and creating reliable sources of information on the Internet are considered positive elements for conducting MOOC, while it has been determined that concerns on issues such as adequate time, copyright, and instructional design experience adversely affect conducting MOOC. In addition, it was revealed that faculty members expected institutional incentives including technical infrastructure and information. In line with the results obtained from the study, suggestions were made for the institutions wishing to conduct MOOCs and for researchers wishing to conduct studies about MOOCs.