{"217111":{"#nid":"217111","#data":{"type":"news","title":"MOOC Matters: Keeping Students Engaged","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAre my students engaged? This is the burning question that can be challenging to answer when you\u2019re teaching students face to face \u2014 let alone when they are squirreled away behind a computer screen halfway across the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s why a group of faculty members from Georgia Tech is looking into the issues related to keeping students engaged and involved in massive open online courses (MOOC).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re trying to figure out what can and cannot be replicated when you transition a course from an on-campus to an online learning environment,\u201d said Al Ferri, associate chair for\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUndergraduate Studies in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the project \u201cchampion.\u201d \u201cAnd we also want to know about subtle things that can help students successfully complete MOOCs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis project is one of seven being explored by a group of mini innovation hubs that are researching questions related to MOOCs and online learning. The hubs are part of an initiative led by the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning and the Center for 21st Century Universities.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs luck would have it, when our hub was forming, ME was getting ready to run a special course called \u2018The Buzz on Open Online Courses,\u2019\u201d Ferri said. \u201cThe students who signed up for the course each took two MOOCs of their choice and were the perfect subjects to help us learn more about our research topic.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring spring of 2013, 13 students enrolled in a number of MOOCs \u2014 ranging from Aboriginal Worldviews and Education offered by the University of Toronto to Introduction to Finance offered by University of Michigan \u2014 and completed all assignments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs part of their participation, the students gave final presentations about their experiences with the MOOCs. There were a number of\u0026nbsp; common themes that students shared:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EStudents enjoyed the convenience and ability to \u201cgo at your own pace\u201d that MOOCs provide.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThey found technical glitches were particularly frustrating when coupled with the lack of access to a professor.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EStudents who had peer-evaluation activities associated with their MOOCs mentioned that they did not like it.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMany students mentioned the importance of having a good instructor in their MOOCs. They commented on instructors\u2019 \u201centhusiasm,\u201d \u201cexpertise,\u201d and \u201ccare for their students\u2019 learning.\u201d\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMany commented that they wanted\/needed to see the professors\u2019 heads in the inset box on the computer screen.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe students said forums are an important part of the success of MOOCs, but they must be managed to maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio. Assigning expert personnel to monitor the message boards is crucial in making effective use of this medium.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EStudents indicated variety is important, even in a world of six-minute modules. They reacted very positively to mixing lectures with demos, interviews, outside videos, etc.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe consensus among the students was that they liked the MOOCs as a way to gain exposure to a new subject area or to review a topic they had already studied, but they acknowledged that the rigor and depth of most of the courses were not up to the level found in their Tech face-to-face classes.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe hub is taking the information gained from the students and will continue their research in the months to come.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe study that we did in the spring semester showed what sorts of things a MOOC developer could do to encourage students to stay engaged, and what mistakes can discourage or frustrate students,\u201d Ferri said. \u201cBut we need to know much more about what drives a student to complete a MOOC, why the attrition rate is so high in MOOCs, and why completion and pass rates in face-to-face classes are so much higher in \u003Cbr \/\u003Ecomparison.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information or to join this hub, contact Ferri at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:al.ferri@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eal.ferri@me.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E. For video and PowerPoint presentations from the May 8 showcase, click \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/c.gatech.edu\/12YYlL5\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAre my students engaged? This is the burning question that can be challenging to answer when you\u2019re teaching students face to face \u2014 let alone when they are squirreled away behind a computer screen halfway across the world.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Are my students engaged? This is the burning question that can be challenging to answer when you\u2019re teaching students face to face \u2014 let alone when they are squirreled away behind a computer screen halfway across the world."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-06-11 08:41:33","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:33","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"217081":{"id":"217081","type":"image","title":"Impact on Learning: Preliminary Survey Results","body":null,"created":"1449180130","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:02:10","changed":"1475894882","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:02","alt":"Impact on Learning: Preliminary Survey Results","file":{"fid":"197148","name":"survey_slide-14.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/survey_slide-14_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/survey_slide-14_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1134972,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/survey_slide-14_0.jpg?itok=ROYf6-2Y"}}},"media_ids":["217081"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/c.gatech.edu\/12YYlL5","title":"Presentations"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.cetl.gatech.edu\/","title":"Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL)"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.c21u.gatech.edu\/","title":"C21U"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"67861","name":"Al Ferri"},{"id":"14381","name":"center for 21st century universities"},{"id":"13286","name":"Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning"},{"id":"14386","name":"massive open online course"},{"id":"43811","name":"MOOCs"},{"id":"14511","name":"online learning"},{"id":"167541","name":"student engagement"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}