Design Of Massive Open Online Courses Research Articles

Comparative Study on Barriers of Supply Chain Management MOOCs in China: Online Review Analysis with a Novel TOPSIS-CoCoSo Approach

To enhance the effectiveness of supply chain talent education, higher education institutions and other organisations have started to develop and use Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in their training programs. However, the problem is that the design and delivery of supply chain management MOOCs can be inappropriately presented and, thus, ineffective, especially for educational teams with fewer teaching experiences of MOOCs. This eventually makes it hard for the students’ learning outcomes to meet the industrial requirements of supply chain experts. Motivated by such a problem, this paper aims to improve the design and delivery of supply chain management MOOCs to enhance student learning outcomes. To achieve this goal, the research method adopted in this paper is to analyse online reviews in a widely-used Chinese MOOC platform with a novel TOPSIS-CoCoSo approach, aiming to identify the barriers to supply chain management MOOCs and their potential solutions. The results of this study show that 16 barriers to MOOCs are identified from the online reviews and then ranked based on their severity of reducing learning outcomes. The perceptions of the severity of the barriers to students and lecturers are compared, and the solutions to the barriers are then discussed. In addition, our comparison indicates that although students and lecturers have similar perceptions of severity for the majority of the barriers, they have significant disagreements on certain barriers. The significance of this study is that it can inform lecturers in supply chain management or relevant disciplines to better design and deliver their MOOC content, as well as contribute to the existing literature by providing new methodological tools for educational analysis. Also, this study highlights the necessity of comparative study in the MOOC online review analysis.

The Impact of Motivation on MOOC Retention Rates: A Systematic Review

This systematic review investigates the effectiveness of motivational strategies on learner engagement and retention rates in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we analyzed 140 studies published between 2014 and 2023 from key academic databases. The objective was to identify and evaluate motivational strategies that significantly reduce MOOC dropout rates. Our findings reveal that personalized learning, interactive content, and peer collaboration are strongly correlated with increased learner engagement and persistence. These strategies align well with learners' intrinsic goals, enhancing their educational experience and adherence to courses. The review also identifies gaps, such as the need for longitudinal studies and culturally tailored motivational strategies, offering a refined agenda for future research in MOOC education. This study contributes to the field by systematically synthesizing existing research, providing new insights into effective educational strategies, and highlighting areas for improvement in MOOC design and implementation. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-SIED1-08 Full Text: PDF

Health Care Workers' Motivations for Enrolling in Massive Open Online Courses During a Public Health Emergency: Descriptive Analysis.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are increasingly used to educate health care workers during public health emergencies. In early 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a series of MOOCs for COVID-19, introducing the disease and strategies to control its outbreak, with 6 courses specifically targeting health care workers as learners. In 2020, Stanford University also launched a MOOC designed to deliver accurate and timely education on COVID-19, equipping health care workers across the globe to provide health care safely and effectively to patients with the novel infectious disease. Although the use of MOOCs for just-in-time training has expanded during the pandemic, evidence is limited regarding the factors motivating health care workers to enroll in and complete courses, particularly in low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). This study seeks to gain insights on the characteristics and motivations of learners turning to MOOCs for just-in-time training, to provide evidence that can better inform MOOC design to meet the needs of health care workers. We examine data from learners in 1 Stanford University and 6 WHO COVID-19 courses to identify (1) the characteristics of health care workers completing the courses and (2) the factors motivating them to enroll. We analyze (1) course registration data of the 49,098 health care workers who completed the 7 focal courses and (2) survey responses from 6272 course completers. The survey asked respondents to rank their motivations for enrollment and share feedback about their learning experience. We use descriptive statistics to compare responses by health care profession and by World Bank country income classification. Health care workers completed the focal courses from all regions of the world, with nearly one-third (14,159/49,098, 28.84%) practicing in LICs and LMICs. Survey data revealed a diverse range of professional roles among the learners, including physicians (2171/6272, 34.61%); nurses (1599/6272, 25.49%); and other health care professionals such as allied health professionals, community health workers, paramedics, and pharmacists (2502/6272, 39.89%). Across all health care professions, the primary motivation to enroll was for personal learning to improve clinical practice. Continuing education credit was also an important motivator, particularly for nonphysicians and learners in LICs and LMICs. Course cost (3423/6272, 54.58%) and certification (4238/6272, 67.57%) were also important to a majority of learners. Our results demonstrate that a diverse range of health care professionals accessed MOOCs for just-in-time training during a public health emergency. Although all health care workers were motivated to improve their clinical practice, different factors were influential across professions and locations. These factors should be considered in MOOC design to meet the needs of health care workers, particularly those in lower-resource settings where alternative avenues for training may be limited.

The Design of a MOOC on Health Behaviors: A Practical Blueprint for the Instructional Design of MOOCs

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a primary mode of scaled-up online learning. They have enjoyed great popularity, which grew significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the growing demand for MOOCs and the desire of institutions to develop high-quality courses, research indicates that the educational impact of MOOCs is limited. Low instructional design quality has been cited as a culprit for the failure of MOOCs to support learning and skill development, prompting calls for a more thorough design of MOOCs. The aims of our work are to describe the systematic development of guiding principles that informed instructional design decisions for our MOOC on health behaviors and to showcase how these principles were implemented in practice. Through triangulation of various sources of evidence on anticipated learners and the MOOC learning environment, we identified four key aspects we needed to address with our instructional design to facilitate learning. We formulated guiding principles that both addressed these aspects and served as a reference point during instructional design. Our approach to making instructional design decisions can serve as a practical blueprint for other MOOC developers.

Performance of students with different accessibility needs and preferences in "Design for All" MOOCs.

Recent research has shown that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) create barriers for students with disabilities. Not taking into account their needs in the design, production or delivery of MOOCs may be one of the main causes behind this. It leads to poor compliance with suitable learning designs and web accessibility standards, as well as a lack of knowledge about the students' needs. The objective of our research is to analyze the learning performance of the students in MOOCs on topics related to Design for All, offered in an Open edX-based platform. Accessibility support was conceived from the outset, including compliance of both the platform and the learning resources with the WCAG 2.1 accessibility standard, and with a subset of the principles of Universal Design for Learning. Additionally, students were consulted on their accessibility needs and preferences, following publicly available modeling schemes and previous research. From a sample of 765 students, who completed at least one of the graded assessment activities of the course, a multilevel multiple logistic regression model was fitted. Based on that model, the results indicate that: a) users of screen readers and users of captions show a statistically significant positive association with a good performance when compared to students with no preferences, with an odds ratio of, respectively, OR = 13.482 and OR = 13.701; b) students who have low vision or very low vision show a significant negative association with a good performance when compared to users of screen readers and to users of captions, with OR = 26.817 and OR = 27.254, respectively.

Navigating the Learning Landscape: Social Cognition and Task-Technology Fit as Predictors for MOOCs Continuance Intention by Sales Professionals

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have gained popularity among sales professionals who use them for self-directed learning and upskilling. However, research related to their intentions to continue learning is scarce. Drawing from the social cognition theory, this research aimed to address this gap by investigating the role of task-technology fit, self-development, and social recognition in sales professionals’ continued use of MOOCs. The study hinged on empirical research and used a survey to collect data from 366 sales professionals. The results suggest that task-technology fit, self-development, and social recognition play a significant role in sales professionals’ continued use of MOOCs. The study has practical implications for organizations promoting employee learning and development. The findings provide valuable information for MOOC designers and providers to develop more effective courses that meet the needs of sales professionals.

Towards Quality Assurance in MOOCs: A Comprehensive Review and Micro-Level Framework

MOOCs (massive open online courses), because of their scale and accessibility, have become a major area of interest in contemporary education. However, despite their growing popularity, the question of their quality remains a central concern, partly due to the lack of consensus on the criteria establishing such quality. This study set out to fill this gap by carrying out a systematic review of the existing literature on MOOC quality and proposing a specific quality assurance framework at a micro level. The methodology employed in this research consisted of a careful analysis of MOOC success factor’s using Biggs’ classification scheme, conducted over a four-year period from 2018 to 2022. The results highlighted the compelling need to consider various indicators across presage, process, and product variables when designing and evaluating MOOCs. This implied paying particular attention to pedagogical quality, both from the learner’s and the teacher’s point of view. The quality framework thus developed is of significant importance. It offers valuable guidance to MOOC designers, learners, and researchers, providing them with an in-depth understanding of the key elements contributing to MOOC quality and facilitating their continuous improvement. In addition, this study highlighted the need to address aspects for future research, including large-scale automated evaluation of MOOCs. By focusing on pedagogical quality, MOOCs can play a vital role in providing meaningful learning experiences, maximizing learner satisfaction, and ensuring their success as innovative educational systems adapted to the changing needs of contemporary education.

From hype to reality: the changing landscape of MOOC research

PurposeThis paper examines the evolution of massive open online courses (MOOCs) literature over the past 15 years and identifies its significant developments.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing main path analysis (MPA) on a dataset of 1,613 articles from the Web of Science (WoS) databases, the authors construct the main pathway in MOOC literature through a citation analysis. Pajek software is used to visualize the 34 influential articles identified in the field.FindingsThree phases emerge in MOOC research: connectivism as a learning theory, facilitating education reform and breaking barriers to MOOCs adoption. Multiple-Global MPA highlights sub-themes including self-regulated learning (SRL), motivation, engagement, dropouts, student performance and the impact of COVID-19.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, data limitations from the WoS core collection might not cover all research, but using reputable sources enhances data validity. Second, despite careful algorithm selection to enhance accuracy, there remains a limitation inherent in the nature of citations. Such biased citations may result in findings that do not fully align with scholars' perspectives.Practical implicationsThe authors' findings contribute to the understanding of MOOCs literature development, enabling educators and researchers to grasp key trends and focus areas in the field. It can inform the design and implementation of MOOCs for more effective educational outcomes.Originality/valueThis study presents novel methodologies and important findings for advancing research and practice in MOOCs.

Utilizing an SDL Approach in Designing a Gamification-Based MOOC to Enhance Autonomous Learning

Aim/Purpose: This research explores the design and development of a gamified Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) aligned with the Self-Directed Learning (SDL) approach. The focus is addressing challenges to foster autonomous learning within the MOOC context. Background: MOOCs have emerged as a prominent platform for global education; however, they face ongoing challenges, particularly in their capacity to facilitate SDL effectively. Despite their popularity, there are gaps and limitations in existing MOOC designs that hinder the cultivation of autonomous learning. This research seeks to bridge these gaps and enhance MOOCs’ ability to support SDL through systematic design improvements and the strategic integration of gamification elements. Methodology: In this study, we adopt the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) instructional design model as the foundational framework. It begins with the Analysis phase, which includes a comprehensive literature review and a questionnaire administered to 41 undergraduate students to gain insights into learner preferences. The Design phase follows, where we develop an innovative MOOC framework enriched with gamification elements. This framework is then implemented and tested during the Development and Implementation phases. Finally, during the Evaluation phase, field testing of this framework is conducted with a limited-scale participant group. Contribution: This research makes a substantial contribution to the academic field and profession by systematically addressing identified gaps and limitations in MOOC design. It delves into the crucial role of MOOCs within the self-learning environment, emphasizing their significance in catering to self-directed learners. Additionally, this research sheds light on the transformative impact of gamification on MOOCs. By showcasing how the ADDIE model can be effectively utilized, this research not only addresses existing challenges but also advocates for the optimization of MOOCs to better serve and empower self-directed learners. Findings: Our study has unveiled a transformational shift in MOOCs. Through the effective integration of gamification, we observed changes in learner engagement, motivation, and the cultivation of SDL behaviors. Participants experienced a substantial increase in their enthusiasm for learning, which led to improvements in their ability to take charge of their learning journeys. This was not merely a superficial enhancement but a profound shift that left participants consistently expressing heightened satisfaction and a deep sense of accomplishment. Recommendations for Practitioners: Our findings strongly advocate for the adoption of a systematic approach to MOOC design. Practitioners should consider leveraging the ADDIE instructional design model, as demonstrated in our study, to elevate MOOCs to new heights. By strategically incorporating gamification elements, MOOCs can become powerful tools for enhancing learner engagement and fostering autonomous learning. This transformation will not only benefit individual learners but also contribute to the broader landscape of online education. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should delve deeper into the realm of gamification within MOOCs. The potential for refining and optimizing specific gamification strategies, especially within the structured framework of the ADDIE model, is an area ripe for exploration. Additionally, there is a need for nuanced research that delves into tailoring MOOCs to cater to self-directed learners’ unique needs. By doing so, we can continue to drive the boundaries of knowledge in online education and offer more effective solutions to learners worldwide. Impact on Society: Our study transcends the confines of academic inquiry and holds implications for society. By harnessing the power of gamification within MOOCs, we can enhance online education. This means not only making education more accessible but also rendering it more engaging and effective on a global scale. Our findings have the potential to democratize learning, empower learners, and ultimately contribute to a more educated and skillful society. Future Research: Future investigations should embark on a journey to uncover the long-term effects of gamification in MOOCs. Moreover, exploring the scalability of these approaches and their influence on diverse learner populations is paramount. As we move forward, the focus should remain on refining and expanding our understanding of how gamification, within the structured context of the ADDIE instructional design model, can continually optimize the landscape of online education.

Designing effective discussion forum in MOOCs: insights from learner perspectives

IntroductionThe study focuses on addressing the gap between the perspectives of learners and the designers of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), with a particular emphasis on asynchronous discussion forums within these courses. The primary objective of this study is to bridge the gap in understanding between MOOC designers and learners regarding the organization and usability of discussion forums.MethodsIt aims to achieve this objective through a navigation experiment that investigates three main factors: (1) Classification of Discussion Forum Posts: This involves how discussion forum posts are categorized or organized. (2) Design of Different Discussion Forum Patterns: The study explores the effectiveness of various discussion forum design patterns. (3) Evaluation of Learners’ Perspective: It assesses the learners’ experiences and viewpoints regarding the discussion forums. The study identifies a gap in prior research, where the learner’s perspective has often been neglected when examining discussion forum organization and usability in MOOCs.ResultsThe results of the study indicate that the redesigned discussion forum was successful in reducing the time required by learners to navigate and explore the discussion forum. This suggests that improvements in interactive user interfaces, design elements, usability, and time efficiency can enhance the design of asynchronous discussion forums in MOOCs. The study offers recommendations and insights that MOOC designers can implement to create more effective and engaging discussion forums. These recommendations are based on the identified features and design elements that are crucial for learner satisfaction and interaction efficiency. Implementing the study’s findings by considering learner perspectives, MOOC designers can enhance the overall quality of the learning process. This includes making the learning environment more engaging for both learners and instructors.DiscussionThe study contributes to the field of online education by emphasizing the importance of learner perspectives and offering practical guidance on optimizing the design, usability, and time efficiency of discussion forums in MOOCs. In summary, this study seeks to improve the design of asynchronous discussion forums in MOOCs by focusing on the learners’ perspective, usability, and efficiency. It not only identifies key factors but also provides recommendations for MOOC designers to enhance the learning experience and engagement within these online courses.

DEVELOPMENT OF CONCEPTUAL MODEL- EFFECTIVE TEACHING QUALITY OF ACADEMICIANS TOWARDS MOOCS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN

Introduction - IT experts and academicians adopted e-learning to expedite quality education. quality education has a necessity; therefore, higher education is getting a good job to partner with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). MOOC is the virtual learning platform to reform education by adopting information and communication technology infrastructure that aimed to increase the opportunities for quality education. MOOCs can be used by skilled and professional academicians who deliver their knowledge and expertise for acquiring learners’ ability to read, write, technical skills, and critical thinking through digital transformation. Academicians who are teaching in MOOCs should have good skills in digital literacy, online pedagogy, and willingness to accept MOOCs initiatives in HEIs in Pakistan. Purpose/Problem - This research aims to examine the impact of the teaching quality of academicians towards the teaching quality design of MOOCs in higher education institutions, and also determine their behavioral intention towards the acceptance of MOOCs initiatives. This research study is focused on MOOCs platform usage and acceptance in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Methodology – Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model will be utilized to examine the hypothesis that influences academician intention towards accepting MOOCs. This study will be used a mixed-method approach to gather information. The Quantitative approach will be used to obtain the data collection for identifying the effects of independent and moderating variables on the dependent variable. SPSS and PLS-SEM 3 statistical tools will be used for data interpretation and analysis. The qualitative semi-structured approach will be used to gather more information about the area of the research survey by conducting interviews with MOOC administrators/developers, explanatory-sequencing approach should be used for more confirmation to validate and reliable the survey data collected. NVivo 12 will be used to analyze the unstructured text, audio, and video data; for interviews, focus groups, and journal articles. Outcome – In this research, MOOC platform has been intended to study and identify the effect of teaching quality of academicians towards MOOCs and their acceptance. The application of HEIs and MOOCs will prove to be the most promising integration for quality education in the year to come under one umbrella. Therefore, a unified MOOC can be recommended in the reflection of research investigations for successfully implementing MOOCs in Pakistan's higher education institutions.

Experience of MOOC designing and implementation in teaching philology students

The paper is devoted to one of the most important problems for the modern education, connected with educational process modernization, based on progressive information technologies. The authors focus their attention on theoretical and practical aspects of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) designing and implementation as an educational resource and independent educational system element. Its tasks are to build an individual educational route and students supplementary professional training, to form students skills for self-organization and self-education. The paper summarizes the experience of MOOC designing and implementation in Orenburg State University philology-students educational process, which demanded pointing out the MOOC peculiar characteristics, designing algorithm for its construction and approval, evaluation of received results and defining perspectives for improving. The system analysis of MOOC peculiar characteristics and potential for educational process at university held with the use of theoretical and practical researching methods let clarify its advantages and disadvantages. Interactivity, quick evaluation of tasks, unlimited time, logical and well-structured material and the ability to perform self-control of learning results are considered to be the advantages. The dependence on the technical abilities, absence of total control of tasks accomplishment and actual teacher-student visual contact, self-sufficient learning decrease MOOCs effectivity. Stage-by-stage algorithm of MOOC design and implementation in educational process of higher education and approved in the designer MOOC Methods of teaching English for philology-students at Orenburg State University is presented. The algorithm consists of 5 consequential stages (preparative, stages of design and production, approbation, improvement and copying). Each stage has its aim and goals, content and ways for realization. Effectivity of algorithm has been proved by the 2 year experimental work. It was proved that the use of designer MOOC resources helped arrange educational process and manage educational time more sufficiently.

Designing a MOOC on Computational Thinking, Programming and Robotics for Early Childhood Educators and Primary School Teachers: A Pilot Test Evaluation

This study focuses on developing and evaluating an online course aimed at preschool educators and primary school teachers. It presents a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on computational thinking, programming and robotics developed as part of the project “Laboratory for Technology and Programming and Robotics Learning in Primary and Preschool Education in Portugal (KML II)” The MOOC design was inspired by a blended learning model used in teacher professional development at the project’s inception and incorporates theoretical-pedagogical models of MOOC design as well as theoretical models of online interaction in virtual educational environments. The course will be offered on the NAU platform, a Portuguese MOOC platform. A pilot test was conducted with a purposive sample that included both participants from the target audience of the course as well as national and international experts specialised in these domains. The evaluation included a Likert scale questionnaire survey and open-ended questions. The results aim to validate the MOOC’s quality, including its structure, content relevance, proposed activities, and learning design. The findings provide evidence to improve the final version of the MOOC, contributing to its effectiveness and adequacy to the target audience.

Design and Development of MOOCs to Develop Civil Apparatus Competence for the Banten Provincial Government Toward Banten Corporate University

Competency development is important for every employee and should be empowered for them. Competency development through training consists of classical training and non-classical training. One form of non-classical training is independent learning and self-development through online learning, such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The purpose of this research is to figure out the learning process either before and after the development of MOOCs and to develop an information system for training and independent learning as one feature of LMS Banten Ceria in the form of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) as an online learning platform with the principle of independent learning or self-directed learning in order to support the Corporate University program in the Province of Banten. This research has a mixed-methods design that blends qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The 4D Thiagarajan model is used in this study, along with research and development methodologies. The result show that MOOCs are effective in developing the competencies of the civil apparatus in the Province of Banten. The difference in average between the pre-test and post-test scores is 20 points. The learning process after using MOOCs shows improvements in knowledge and competence. Hence, the system of online learning will support the BPSDMD Banten Provincial Program as it becomes a corporate university. Keywords: Development MOOCs, Design MOOCs, Civil Apparatus Competence

Instructional Design of Massive Open Online Courses

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are generally conceived as free online courses where anyone can enroll. They are designed to provide learning opportunities for advancement and deliver positive learning results which can be used for career development. However, some issues arise because of the following factors: 1) uncertainty in finishing the course 2) cost consideration in obtaining a certificate of completion 3) learning attention and management 4) technological glitch 5) appropriate theoretical applications 6) connectivism. For learning positivity, Instructional Design of MOOCs must highlight learning engagement with teachers facilitation accentuated in immersion activities designed to promote student collaboration guided by the principle of connectivism while enhancing teaching skills and methodologies.

Learners’ perspectives on MOOC design

The purpose of this paper was to examine learners’ perspectives on massive open online course (MOOC) design. For the past decade, there has been substantial discussion on the design aspects and instructional quality of MOOCs. However, research investigating MOOC design from learners’ perspectives is rarely conducted. Understanding MOOC learners’ perspectives regarding MOOC design can bring useful insights to researchers and practitioners for the growth and success of MOOCs. Through exploratory factor analysis of 209 learners of a MOOC, this study identified four MOOC design dimensions that the learners value: human interactions, navigation, professional development, and course workload. In addition, the study found that learner characteristics such as learners’ age and the type of goals learners bring to the MOOCs are related to what they value in MOOC design. Expanding our understanding of MOOC design, implications for future research and practice for designing a MOOC are discussed.

Mapping of Instructional Design of MOOC’s Elements

MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is an innovation in the field of online learning that has been popular since 2012. MOOC users during the COVID-19 pandemic increased dramatically, but the dropout rate for MOOC was also high. One of the things that causes the high dropout rate is the MOOC design. To get a good MOOC design, it is necessary to design an instructional design. Instructional design is a guide in designing instruction or learning stages to facilitate effective learning so that learning objectives can be achieved. Many examples of instructional design have been introduced in previous studies, one of which is "The 7Cs Learning Design Framework". In this research, a mapping of elements that are found in MOOC will be carried out into the category of MOOC features that are closely related because of the similarity of functions and properties with "The 7Cs Learning Design Framework". It is hoped that after this mapping has been carried out, system developers and MOOC instructors can focus more on a good MOOC design so as to maintain MOOC user retention and satisfaction.

Using learning analytics to improve the educational design of MOOCs

In recent years, the interest in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Learning Analytics research have highly increased in the areas of educational technologies. The emergence of new learning technologies requires new perspectives on Educational Design. When the areas of MOOCs, Learning Analytics and Instructional Design developed, the interest and connection between these three concepts became important for research. Learning Analytics provides progress information and other individualized support in MOOC settings where teachers are not able to provide learners with individual attention, which would be possible in a traditional face-to-face setting. Through collective views over the learning process, the overall progress and performance are indicated. Moreover, results can lead to Educational Design improvements. Every time a learner interacts with the system, data is created and collected. Many Educational Designers do not take advantage of this data and thereby, losing the possibility to impact the course design in a powerful way. This research work strongly focuses on the implication of Learning Analytics for Educational Design in MOOCs. Many methods and algorithms are used in the analytical learning process in MOOCs. Currently, a great variety of learning data exists. First, well-known Instructional Design patterns from different models were collected and listed. In a second step, through the collected data is used to point out which of these patterns can be answered by using Learning Analytics methods. The findings of the study show that it is possible to better understand which environments and experiences are best suited for learning by analyzing students' behaviors online. These results have great potential for a rapidly and easier understanding and optimization of the learning process for educators.

Pedagogical Approaches and Learning Activities, Content, and Resources Used in the Design of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the Health Sciences: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

BackgroundDeveloping online, widely accessible educational courses, such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), offer novel opportunities to advancing academic research and the educational system in resource-constrained countries. Despite much literature on the use of design-related features and principles of different pedagogical approaches when developing MOOCs, there are reports of inconsistency between the pedagogical approach and the learning activities, content, or resources in MOOCs.ObjectiveWe present a protocol for a scoping review aiming to systematically identify and synthesize literature on the pedagogical approaches used, and the learning activities, content, and resources used to facilitate social interaction and collaboration among postgraduate learners in MOOCs across the health sciences.MethodsWe will follow a 6-step procedure for scoping reviews to conduct a search of published and gray literature in the following databases: Medline via Ovid, ERIC, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and PsychINFO. Two reviewers will screen titles, abstracts, and relevant full texts independently to determine eligibility for inclusion. The team will extract data using a predefined charting form and synthesize results in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist.ResultsThe scoping review is currently ongoing. As of March 2022, we have performed initial data searches and screened titles and abstracts of the studies we found but revised the search string owing to inaccurate results. We aim to start analyzing the data in June 2022 and expect to complete the scoping review by February 2023.ConclusionsWith the results of this review, we hope to report on the use of pedagogical approaches and what learning activities, content, and resources foster social and collaborative learning processes, and to further elucidate how practitioners and academics can harvest our findings to bridge the gap between pedagogics and learning activities in the instructional design of MOOCs for postgraduate students in the health sciences.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/35878

MOOCs Design: A Conceptual Framework for Continuous Teacher Training in Portugal

This paper aims to present a conceptual framework for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) design with regard to continuous teacher training, where a mixed methodology research approach was used. This methodology was structured in two consecutive phases: The first phase adopted a sequential exploratory strategy, where a scoping literature review approach was applied, and analysis content techniques were used to map and analyze the key dimensions in the design of MOOCs. The second phase was based on the concurrent triangulation strategy, where the quantitative data were extracted from 103 questionnaires and the qualitative data were obtained from two mini focus group interviews, which contributed to the development of the framework. Based on the data collected in phase 2, we proposed a framework which is structured in three main dimensions and ten subdimensions: (i) Resources—Human and Technological infrastructure; (ii) Design—Course overview, Target learners, Pedagogical approaches, Goals, Learning materials, content and activities and Assessment activities; and (iii) Organization and monitoring—Accreditation and Data monitoring and evaluation. This paper contributes to the actual state of the art in MOOCs design given the inexistence of frameworks for such courses in the specific case of continuous teacher training, and it shows the importance of accreditation recognition by the Portuguese entities.