Dive Brief:
- A recent study shows dividing massive open online course (MOOC) learners into groups based on communication preferences did not improve completion outcomes.
- Campus Technology reports Penn State researchers discovered learners receiving instruction by way of posts, chat or audio and video were equally likely to fall within the average MOOC completion rate of 10%.
- The research also showed that women were more likely than men to want to learn in groups, while men preferred real-time interaction more than women.
Dive Insight:
MOOC learning yields a 10% completion rate, and while this research shows personalized instruction does not shift the outcome, it begs the question of how a learning platform deemed as the future of higher education appears to create an abysmal return on investment?
The answer, seemingly, is that online course delivery is better promoted and delivered as an add-on to traditional college settings, and not as the ideal alternative. Research from the Gates Foundation shows the majority of college students still learn in on-campus courses, and while the gap is narrowing between the number of students learning online and in-person, colleges are still best suited in finding hybrid methods to make students more successful.