Posts tagged online learning
Debugging the Divide: Exploring Men’s and Women’s Motivations and Engagement in Computer Science MOOCs
Master thesis written by Casper Hildebrand at the faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science to obtain the degree of Master of Science at the Delft University of Technology.
Summary
Within the field of computer science (CS), women are under-represented in the workforce and education settings. As Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) grow in popularity, understanding the gender differences in reasons for enrollment and engagement remains crucial to improving learner outcomes. This study investigates why men and women enroll in introductory CS MOOCs and how they interact with these courses. This is done with data from four MOOCs offered by TU Delft between 2015 and 2022.
Using survey data for the learners’ reasons for enrolment and clickstream data for their behavioural engagement, we applied k-means clustering to identify engagement patterns. Our analysis reveals that the three most important reasons for men and women are career-related, interest-related, and degree-related, in that order. Women are more likely to enrol for career-related reasons than men, while men are more driven by interest in the topic than women. Women also tend to show lower engagement levels compared to men, who are more likely to complete the courses. We found no significant association between reasons for enrollment and engagement for men and women.
These findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive course design strategies to enhance engagement and completion rates. Providing mentorship opportunities, fostering peer interaction platforms, and highlighting role models in the field could also help create a more inclusive learning environment. Future research should explore specific learner challenges and incorporate a more comprehensive engagement model.
Keywords
Gender diversity, online learning, computer science, MOOCS, continuing education, motivation, engagement
Reference
Hildebrand, C.W.R. (2024) DEBUGGING THE DIVIDE: EXPLORING MEN’S AND WOMEN’S MOTIVATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT IN COMPUTER SCIENCE MOOCS Master thesis at the TU Delft faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f4aceeec-5947-4578-834c-4bb43288c91a
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Shifting from Blended to Online Learning: Students’ and Teachers’ Perspectives
Article written by Esra Polat, Sonja van Dam and Conny Bakker and published in the Proceedings of the Design Society.
Abstract
The Covid-19 outbreak forced many universities across the world to transition from a traditional or blended format to fully online education. This paper presents a case study on the transition to an online education format for a circular design course. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a survey with 26 students and interviews with six course teachers. The findings revealed that students preferred the on-campus versions over the online course components. They indicated the perceived lack of motivation, lack of sense of community, and a high workload as influencing factors. Teachers indicated the lack of connection with students as a drawback to online education but identified advantages to their teaching and the student’s learning experience. Suggestions for addressing an optimal blended course format are provided.
Keywords
Design education, Online learning, Circular economy, Case study, Covid-19
Reference
Polat, E., Van Dam, S., & Bakker, C. (2021). SHIFTING FROM BLENDED TO ONLINE LEARNING: STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES. Proceedings of the Design Society, 1, 2651-2660. doi:10.1017/pds.2021.526
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This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Online Courses on Business Model Innovation for Practitioners in SMEs
This article is published in the Journal of Business Models (2019), Vol. 7, No. 3.
Abstract
We develop and evaluate five online courses (MOOCs) on business model innovation, tailored to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Six design principles are found for such courses: regarding type and form of learning contents; time investments from participants; practical examples and tools; integration with daily practice; and participative learning.
Keywords
Business model innovation; Online learning; MOOC
Reference
de Reuver, M., Cligge, M., and Haaker, T. (2019), Online courses on business model innovation for practitioners in SMEs, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 13-24
Acknowledgements
This publication was developed within the project `Regeling open en online hoger onderwijs’ of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, guided by SURF (www.surf.nl). The course development received part of its funding from the European Community’s Horizon 2020 Program (2014–2020) under grant agreement 645791. The content herein reflects only the authors’ view. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. We thank the other course team members Harry Bouwman, Gudo Reekers, Stephan Kool, Thea Dullemans and Johannetta Gordijn for invaluable contributions to the courses. We also thank our colleagues from the H2020 ENVISION project. An earlier version of this paper was presented to Open Education Global Conference 2018, and we thank the reviewers and audience for helpful comments.