Connectivist Massive Open Online Courses Research Articles

CMALT cMOOC

This paper outlines the design stage of a project that reimagines lecturer professional development around a network of communities of practice scaffolded by a cMOOC (connectivist Massive Open Online Course), where sustained collaborative engagement with innovative teaching practice is recognised via established international peer-based professional accreditation pathways such as CMALT (Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology). Informed by a design based research methodology, the CMALT cMOOC leverages a network of national and international collaboration and innovative teaching expertise, providing an agile and scalable framework to support the development of participants’ CMALT portfolios as evidence of critical engagement with new modes of practice and enhanced student outcomes.

Research on the patterns of the organic growth knowledge production based on a dual perspective of content and behaviour

AbstractA new mode of knowledge production, known as the ‘organic growth pattern’, has emerged within the online learning environment. It exhibits several unique features, such as iterative growth, fuelled by collective intelligence, fuzzy complexity, etc. It is more valuable and adaptable to support knowledge innovation within rapidly changing fields. To reveal its new evolutional production pattern and the interaction mechanism of different generative topics, We take a dual perspective of content and behaviour into consideration. A total of 1855 interactive data points were collected from a connectivist massive open online course. The study employed methods, such as latent Dirichlet allocation, content analysis and lag sequential analysis. Results showed that (1) the paths of knowledge innovation were complex and diverse. The process typically began with an ill‐structured question and was driven by collective contribution and cognitive conflict. (2) Knowledge production involved interactive evolution and collaborative growth of multiple generative topics. (3) The four stages of knowledge production were cyclic, with sense‐making acting as a bridge between way‐finding and innovation. Several implications of the findings are recommended to enhance the quality of knowledge growth, such as designing ill‐structured questions, providing discussion activities from easy to difficult, introducing relevant topics, taking advantage of various platforms and mobilizing learners' or participants' quality attention‐related behaviours.

Who will work together? Factors influencing autonomic group formation in an open learning environment

ABSTRACT Different from the group formation approaches led by teachers, learners’ generative learning objectives and the independent choice of collaborative partners are important in the Internet learning environment. This study takes the cMOOC (connectivist massive open online course) 5.0 “Internet + education: dialogue between theory and practice” as a case course. Data on learners’ interactive behaviours, generative texts, and personal attributes were collected through the course platform and questionnaires. Social network analysis and natural language processing were adopted to build a variety of collaborator relationship networks, and the quadratic assignment procedure was used to reveal the impact of the social, topic and attribute relationships of learners before collaboration on the collaborative relationship. The results show that individuals with close social relations, similar topics, similar age and learning experiences before collaboration are more likely to establish collaborative relationships; among them, close social relations and close ages are the key driving factors affecting the choice of partners. In addition, topic similarity can further promote the establishment of collaborative relationships among individuals with close social relations. The findings will help community-based courses optimise partner recommendation strategies and promote collaborative problem-solving and collective knowledge creation.

Exploring the relationship between interaction patterns and social capital accumulation in connectivist learning

ABSTRACT To inform the relationships among interaction patterns, social capital accumulation, and learning benefits, based on 29,056 log data from a cMOOC (Connectivist Massive Open Online Course) in China, this study examined the difference in social capital accumulation and content production among different interaction patterns using cluster analysis, lag sequence analysis, social network analysis, and the Kruskal–Wallis test. Five types of interaction patterns in connectivist learning were identified: “creative connected participants”, “active connected participants”, “poorly engaged social participants”, “poorly engaged moderate participants”, and “resource investigating participants”. The results demonstrated that participants’ interaction patterns influence their social capital accumulation and content production and that positive interaction engagement would compensate for the disadvantage of participants’ initial position in social capital accumulation. Furthermore, resource access, social interaction, and content release had different roles in the accumulation of social capital. The pattern with higher engagement in all three kinds of interaction activities was associated with better content production because learners accumulated more bonding capital and bridging capital, which would bring them more returns in content creation. This study highlights the connectivist learning mechanism and effectiveness from the social capital perspective and provides valuable insights into the design and support of connectivist learning.

A HyFlex-Flipped Class in Action Learning: A Connectivist MOOC for Creative Problem-Solving

This design research aims to propose a HyFlex strategy for students and participants in the workplace using massive open online course (MOOC) flipped between the two settings, an active in-classroom to an action learning in the workplace. The research methods were designed into two major parts, where the first part was a design stage which included the review and design process, while the second part involved case studies. The learning design is analogous to an origami paper folding system that processes the diversified questioning of real-world problems and recursively reflects the thought, action, and solutions to the problems. The case studies showed a statistically significant increase in participants’ creative problem-solving at the 0.5 level.

An Intelligent Adaptive cMOOC “IACM” for Improving Learner’s Engagement

Despite the massive number of enrollments in MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platforms, dropout rates are very high. This problem can be due to several factors: Social, pedagogical, prior knowledge as well as a demotivation. To deal with this type of problems, we have designed an adaptive cMOOC (Connectivist MOOC) platform for each registered learner’s profile.
 From the first human-machine interaction, the process adapts the learner's need according to a pre-established model. It is based on the processing of statistical data collected by correspondence analysis and regression algorithms. Each generated learner’s profile will provide an adaptive navigation and pedagogical activities. The intelligent system presented in this work will be able to classify learners according to their preferences and learning styles.

Empirical evidence from a connectivist Competitive Intelligence Massive Open Online Course (CI cMOOC) proof of concept

This study proposes a competitive intelligence connectivist Massive Open Online Course (CI cMOOC) proof of concept and highlights the interactions among content, context and community to explore relevance in CI cMOOC behavior. The CI cMOOC proof of concept was empirically tested with an online purposive sampling to target a qualified audience of similar and dissimilar information-rich cases, providing evidence about content-context-community competing influence on CI knowledge. The results revealed how the CI learning community perceive the capability of a cMOOC to train foreknowledge practices, given the best match between its content and context. The findings outline that tailored learning approach of the instructor influences the CI learning community’s satisfaction with the content. The study facilitates theory development in addressing the emerging paradigm of an open intelligence approach to cMOOC collective training. Within boundaries of empirical return on experience of qualified respondents, the research framework strengthens trust in supervised interpretive judgment of CI learners confronted with anticipating competitive challenges.

Motivation by gamification: Adapting motivational tools of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) for peer-to-peer assessment in connectivist massive open online courses (cMOOCs)

In the first decade of the 21st century, distance learning (usually subject to course fees and resulting in formal certification) was complemented by free-of-charge open learning courses with unlimited numbers of participants and no final certificate. Termed massive open online courses (MOOCs), these soon fell into different categories, depending on their concept. Among them are connectivist massive open online courses (cMOOCs) which emphasise a collaborative approach to learning. However, while initial enrolment is indeed massive, completion rates are very low and cMOOCs notoriously lack an appropriate method of evaluating learning progress and motivational resources. The author of this article suggests that one way of addressing this problem might be to adapt motivational formative assessment tools used in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) to cMOOCs. He argues that some characteristics of MMORPGs can be effectively incorporated in cMOOCs, thus benefiting from the motivational potential of MMORPGs. He cautions, however, that even if MMORPGs (and ongoing, low-stakes formative assessment in general) are motivational, they can only be applied to cMOOCs if the idea of formative assessment is not in tension with connectivist principles. Hence, the author argues for their compatibility, and builds on peer-to-peer assessment as a solution for resource allocation problems with low instructor–learner ratio.

Massive Open Online Courses: Concept and Implications

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are currently the buzz word in the field of e-learning. By definition, MOOCs are massive courses considering the number of participants enrolled across the globe per course, are open accessed, and are available online. MOOCs have evolved along the trajectory of correspondence courses, radio- and television-broadcasts, and e-learning. Though various taxonomies to classify MOCCs exit, two types - Connectivist Massive Open Online Course (cMOOC) and Extended Massive Open Online Course (xMOOC) have distinctly emerged. cMOOC promotes creativity and interaction among participants, while xMOOC is used merely for knowledge dispersion. With increased and unrestricted use of internet, and with ease of developing new online platforms, MOOCs are proving to be an evolutionary phenomenon. Many universities and institutes of higher learning are using MOOCs for knowledge dispersion and skill development. Their role in faculty development, capacity and capability building in medical education arena is unequivocal. Potential of MOOCs can be well-tapped for conduct of continuing medical education programs, and programs for improving soft-skills and research skills in medical field for faculty development. This review details the concepts of MOOCs and their application in education field, particularly in medical education, and feasibility of developing MOOCs in India.

An Investigation of Novice Pre-University Students’ Views towards MOOCs: The Case of Malaysia

ABSTRACTThere has been a growing number of studies dedicated to understanding how Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) impact the e-learning community. Yet, little is still known about how novice pre-university students perceive the use of MOOCs in Malaysia. This study explored pre-university students’ perceptions of, challenges with, and intention towards MOOCs by using interview data. The results showed that students’ general perceptions of the MOOC were positive, reporting that they gained additional knowledge, marks towards their Diploma and benefiting from the opportunity to create an online learning community. However, they were challenged by their language competency and awareness of MOOCs. Outcomes from this study may offer some practical implications to educational decision-makers in Malaysia towards promoting the use of MOOCs among students.Abbreviations: MOOC: Massive Open Online Courses; cMOOC: Connectivist Massive Open Online Courses; xMOOC: eXtended Massive Open Online Courses; ahMOOC: adaptive hybrid Massive Open Online Courses; LMS: Learning Management System; MQA: Malaysian Qualifications Agency; STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Exploring a Personal Social Knowledge Network (PSKN) to aid the observation of connectivist interaction for high‐ and low‐performing learners in connectivist massive open online courses

AbstractThis study adds a new perspective to the observations about connectivist interaction behavior in cMOOCs by extending the notion of network building from the perspective of individuals. We explore the possibility of building a learning network named Personal Social Knowledge Network (PSKN) to support in the monitoring of learning performance and interaction in cMOOCs. The sample in this study included 284 preservice teachers and their learning lasted approximately 12 weeks. Data were primarily gathered by PSKN graphs. The results revealed a correlation between connectivist interaction measured by the PSKN (including density structure) and learning performance. The results also revealed differences in connectivist interaction behavior and patterns, indicated by PSKN (densities and structures), for high‐ and low‐performing learners in cMOOCs. The high‐performing learners show deeper knowledge interaction and social communication in addition to simple knowledge sharing and social communication. Additionally, as time passed and the PSKN of high‐performing learners extended further, their interaction behavior became more complex and their role had gradually changed from “learning” to “teaching” as well as from knowledge acceptance to knowledge creation in cMOOCs.

MOOCs in the Malaysian higher education institutions: The instructors’ perspectives

ABSTRACTMassive open online courses (MOOC) are considered a modern e-learning technology that was initiated by the Malaysian higher education in 2015. The current literature on MOOCs, covering research relating to its effectiveness to accommodate different students’ abilities showed conflicting results in this regard. With limited studies on MOOCs’ effectiveness in Malaysian higher education, this study explored current opportunities, challenges, and solutions of using MOOC in the Malaysian higher education institutions. Instructors from various teaching backgrounds were interviewed to respond to these concerns. The study found that the major challenges faced by instructors when using MOOC were redundancy, lack of facilities and exposure, incompetent knowledge in MOOC course design and development, and insufficient leadership and capacity-building programmes. Therefore, possible solutions to these challenges were identified and discussed. These findings can help the policy makers explore strategies for the future development, implementation and success of MOOC in the context of higher education in Malaysia.Abbreviations: MOOC: Massive Open Online Courses; cMOOC: Connectivist Massive Open Online Courses; xMOOC: eXtended Massive Open Online Courses; ahMOOC: adaptive hybrid Massive Open Online Courses; LMS: Learning Management System; MQA: Malaysian Qualifications Agency; STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Identifying gatekeepers in online learning networks

The rise of the networked society has not only changed our perceptions but also the definitions, roles, processes and dynamics of online learning networks. From offline to online worlds, networks are everywhere and gatekeepers are an important entity in these networks. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to explore gatekeeping and gatekeepers in online learning networks. In this regard, it will examine the indicators of gatekeeping and gatekeepers, and gatekeepers’ roles and functions in learning network formation processes. For the purposes of the research, the paper uses multiple-case design and examines three connectivist Massive Open Online Courses through social network analysis. The findings of the research indicate that betweenness centrality is an important indicator of gatekeeping and gatekeepers. Moreover, gatekeepers have an important role in learning network formation processes and their actions are one of the determiners of the network structure.

A Comparative Analysis of MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) Platforms

IntroductionThe rapid development of technology has influenced many aspects of our lives, especially related to studying and education. Electronic devices, software, learning platforms and internet have made learning easier and faster and also their quality seems to be improved by these new technologies. A recent development in higher education and distance learning is the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that offers free access and interactive participation to learners all around the globe through internet and other technologies. The purpose of MOOC platforms is to reinvigorate teaching and learning and to create a brand new virtual space for educational interaction. Furthermore, this approach of online learning is a great opportunity to both sides: consumers and providers, for consumers it is represented by the variety and the prestige of courses to be chosen from; for the providers it is about being free of obligation regarding the success of the course completion.What is a MOOC?A MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is an online educational environment that allows a large number of students from anywhere in the world to follow online courses in any field of study. The instructors come from elite universities and teach using videos and presentations. At the same time, people who enroll in these courses are able to connect with a community of instructors and learners with similar interests. At the end of the course, students who graduate may obtain a certification.[1]MOOCs began as a development of the OER (Open Education Resources) movement that encourages free learning, teaching and research materials. The first MOOC took place in 2008; it was called Connectivism and Connective Knowledge and was led by George Siemens and Stephen Downes in front of 25 tuition-paying students and over 2200 online students. Online students had free access to the course content through RSS feeds, blog posts, online discussions and meetings. [2]Based on the education models, study authors split MOOCs in two categories: cMOOCs centered on George Siemens's connectivism theory and xMOOCs that look a lot like traditional courses. xMOOCs are criticized by cMOOCs co-founder Stephen Downes for the reason that they are not different by much from digital textbooks or television shows with an online quiz component. [3]As Stephen Downes explains in a 2011 Huffington Education article, the connectivist approach is not about transmitting and memorizing course content, but about forming neuron connections as a result of experience, through interaction with a community of fellow learners. He identifies four main activities in connectivist MOOCs: aggregation of content as each participant should select what seems important from the material, remixing by associating materials they read, repurposing concepts or ideas they learned about and feeding forward which means sharing one's work with the world. [4]Alternatively, xMOOCs are based on traditional learning methods: they are organized around short video lectures followed by assessments in the form of quizzes. xMOOCs are usually provided by higher education institutions or for-profit companies rather than a group of individuals with a passion for a specific area of study. The first xMOOC took place in 2011 when 160 000 students registered for ''Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course led by Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig from Stanford University, thus increasing MOOC's popularity. [5]Lifelong learnersKnowledge acquiring is unavoidable and prepares us for real life experience in the world around us. This is the motivation of lifelong learners for self-development, both personal and professional. Lifelong Learning Platforms are designed for every person, no matter the stage of his/her life or the level of knowledge. Lifelong learners are self-motivated individuals driven by their actions to move forward with the same speed that technology does. …

Connecting and Collaborating Within and Beyond a Massive Open Online Course

AbstractIn this article, we draw on the experiences of two young adults, Beth and Jamie (pseudonyms), who participated in a connectivist Massive Open Online Course (cMOOC) to explore how adolescents can become active members in a community of learners and the digital literacy practices that support this entry. We argue that Beth and Jamie engaged in digital literacy practices that allowed them to be socially connected, and that they participated and established themselves as equal members in a community of practice. Their experiences has implications for how we engage students in literacy experiences that encourage them to be connected learners in larger communities of practice.

What makes a cMOOC community endure? Multiple participant perspectives from diverse cMOOCs

Imagine the challenge of being immersed in a dynamic learning network where you play brinkmanship with being overwhelmed by a plethora of information, comments, and conversations on a topic of intense interest to you. Through adept facilitation, the comments and encouragement of fellow participants, and your own perseverance, you develop a network of personal connections which serve as metaphorical flying buttresses creating enough stability that you are able to learn in a new, yet profoundly meaningful way – the connectivist massive open online course (cMOOC) way. Through the lens of autoethnography, five seasoned educators collaboratively reflect on their motivation for participating in their initial cMOOC. They analyze their lived experience, what they found most engaging, and most importantly, they grapple with why cMOOC communities often endure past official end-dates. This article attempts to provide insight into the thrill and depth of learning and connection possible through participation in cMOOCs.

Competences, Learning Theories and MOOCs: Recent Developments in Lifelong Learning

Our societies have come to be known as knowledge societies in which lifelong learning is becoming increasingly important. In this context, competences have become a much discussed topic. Many documents were published by international organisations (UNESCO, World Bank, European Commission) which enumerated 21st century key competences. The field of learning theories has also experienced advances. Findings from neuroscience have promoted a new understanding of what really happens in the brain when we learn. At the same time, the fact that learning increasingly takes place in virtual communities led George Siemens (2004) to propose connectivism as a learning theory for the digital age. Similarly, Roberto Carneiro (2010) suggested a theory he called generativism which aims at describing collaborative learning with digital technologies and open educational resources. These theories might be better able to describe and explain lifelong learning than classical learning theories.In the field of digital technologies, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have recently received a great deal of attention. While Siemens suggested connectivist MOOCs (cMOOCs) as the ideal platform for connectivist learning, other forms of MOOCs were also developed. These MOOCs have spread at a breath‐taking pace in the last few years, although it is far from clear to what extent they are based on principles from learning theories and really support learning. These developments will be presented and discussed with respect to their relevance for lifelong learning as an integral part of man's quest for meaning.

MOBIMOOC 2012: A New Tree Structure For The Delivery Of Connectivist MOOCs

Based on the explicit principles of connectivism (autonomy, diversity, openness and interactivity) and on the activities of aggregation, remixing, repurposing and feeding forward resources and learning, connectivist Massive Open Online Courses (c-MOOCs) have made a large impact in online education since 2008. Ideally a great part of c-MOOC participants should share, produce and consume digital media. But this does not happen and a majority of learners stay on the side as silent participants that only consume (lurkers). Those active never exceed 10% of those registered. The way c-MOOCs have been delivered up to date can be divided into: i) those that make use of a daily newsletter used by the facilitator to syndicate fundamentally the blog posts from the active participants and ii) those that rely on a centralizing web page and where all course discussions happen via the usage of a mailing list. In each format participants undergo a very different learning experience but the relation active-to-lurker is in both ve similar. After the success of MobiMOOC 2011, Inge de Waard organized and coordinated in September 2012 a three weeks course on mobile learning. MobiMOOC 2012 relied on a format of a centralized wiki and mailing list but introduced a new delivery structure: a tree arquitecture. Participants concentrated in only one topic in the first week, four were offered on the second and eight on the third. MobiMOOC 2012 and this experimental new organizational structure are described in detail in this paper. We particularly analyze if a more balanced distribution of participants in active and lurkers roles was achieved when compared to previous experiences.

Unpacking MOOC scholarly discourse: a review of nascent MOOC scholarship

The rapid rise of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) signals a shift in the ways in which digital teaching and learning are engaged in and understood. Drawing upon a comprehensive search of nine leading academic databases, this paper examines the initial phase of MOOC scholarship (2009–2013), and offers an analysis of these empirical studies that conceptualizes themes in MOOC scholarship and locates them within a chronological framework. Two key phases of scholarship about MOOCs are identified, each with associated research imperatives and themes. Phase One: Connectivist MOOCs, Engagement and Creativity 2009–2011/2012. Themes of Phase One include: development of Connectivism as a learning theory, and technological experimentation and innovation in early cMOOCs. Phase Two: xMOOCs, Learning Analytics, Assessment, and Critical Discourses about MOOCs 2012–2013. Themes of Phase Two include: the rise of xMOOCs, further development of MOOC pedagogy and platforms, growth of learning analytics and assessment, and the emergence of a critical discourse about MOOCs.

Learning in a small, task–oriented, connectivist MOOC: Pedagogical issues and implications for higher education

<p>Despite the increase in massive open online courses (MOOCs), evidence about the pedagogy of learning in MOOCs remains limited. This paper reports on an investigation into the pedagogy in one MOOC - Oxford Brookes University’s ‘First Steps in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’ MOOC (FSLT12).</p><p>FSLT12 was an open and free professional development opportunity for people moving into HE teaching. It was a small course (200 participants registered from 24 countries) which was focused on introducing HE teaching skills, and, uniquely, to deliberately integrate open academic practice as a vital part of professional development for HE teachers. A qualitative, case-study approach was used in the research, based on surveys, interviews, and social media, to provide evidence about how people learned in this course and consider wider implications for teaching and learning in higher education.</p><p>The evidence shows that participants who completed the course were able to learn autonomously and navigate the distributed platforms and environments. The most challenging issues were acceptance of open academic practice and difficulty in establishing an academic identity in an unpredictable virtual environment. An interesting and significant feature of the course was the support for learners from a number of MOOC ‘veterans’ who served as role models and guides for less experienced MOOC learners.</p><p>The research shows that small task-oriented MOOCs can effectively support professional development of open academic practice.</p>