Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) revolutionize the concept of higher education. The courses do not have to squeeze the learning environment within the classrooms anymore. The value of a MOOC for student learning depends on how learning processes are facilitated, stimulated and assessed. However, before considering these elements of MOOC, joining an online course should have an evaluation of participation to meet its quality and aims.

The concept should be questioned in a sense that students (learners) may easily register for a course by clicking registration button at the web site. However, since “participant behaviors and intentions are so diverse” and it is common that students do not take it serious when it is free at charge, the course may not reach its goals with a certain number of participants. The results of a study (Admiraal et al., 2015) indicated that participants who completed the voluntary final exam formed about 10% of the total student enrolment. Teachers and institutions may not get the expected benefits out of the online courses in this case. That could be a loose of prestige for the course itself as well as the institute. Working as a team and sharing of knowledge between participants can be impossible with great variety of participants in terms of backgrounds.

For a better quality and results, open courses should have an evaluation of participation.

References

Haywood, J. (2012, July 20). No such thing as a free MOOC. Retrieved from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/ blog/no-such-thing-as-a-free-mooc/

Koutropoulos, A., Gallagher, M., Abajian, S., de Waard, I., Hogue, R., Keskin, N. & Rodriguez, O. (2012). Emotive Vocabulary in MOOCs: Context & Participant Retention. European Journal of Open, Distance, and E-Learning, 2012(I), May 10, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.eurodl. org/?article=507.

Admiraal W, Huisman B and Pilli O. Assessment in Massive Open Online Courses. Electronic Journal of e-Learning 13(4):207-216 · April 2015.