Researchers
have been trying to figure out why completion rates for massive open online
courses (MOOCs) tend to stay around 10%. A new study showed that putting
learners into study groups based on communication preferences isn’t the answer.
The
research done at Pennsylvania State University showed that the groupings had no
significant impact on students’ performance or completion. Participants in the survey
were put into groups based on their preferred methods of communications for the
course: asynchronous, which allows students to learn at their own pace with
common online communication such as email or discussion boards, or synchronous,
a more facilitated form of communication such as videoconferencing.
“These
differences were statistically different and were moderated by English language
proficiency, gender, level of education, and age,” Adelina Hristova, a Penn
State doctoral student and one of the collaborators on the report, said in an
article for Penn State News. “Although the groups designed for the study did not
significantly influence students’ course performance and completion, our study
can serve as baseline data for making grouping decisions in future online
courses, including MOOCs.”
The
study did note that older learners were more likely to complete the course. It
also found that female students preferred to study in groups, while males preferred
synchronous communications for the course.
“It has provided me with a
fabulous opportunity to study how students of different ages, cultures,
genders, and educational backgrounds learn and practice some of the subjects
that I teach—namely, design, problem-solving, and creativity,” said Kathryn
Jablokow, a Penn State associate professor of mechanical engineering and
engineering design. “Those insights influence how I formulate new research
studies, and the MOOC also gives me a unique setting in which to test and
disseminate new research results.”
