Extracción de datos de interacción de los estudiantes en una plataforma Open Edx

The Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are courses available to the general public without restrictions that are offered to hundreds or thousands of students and in recent years have been presented as a revolution in online education. They are presented as an alternative to the great demand in higher education for the characteristic of being open and massive because they allow access to education to a huge number of students. They have become an ideal environment for data collection and through the application of learning analytics techniques they have allowed a better understanding of how students learn. However, access to the data from thecurrent open-source MOOC platforms is limited and often difficult to collect and process. This paper presents a proposal for collecting and processing the data from students’ interaction with the Open edX platform through Scripts and a Collector based on Java code. Los cursos masivos abiertos en línea (MOOC por sus siglas en inglés) son cursos que están disponibles para el público general sin restricciones y que están disponibles para cientos o miles de estudiantes. Estos cursos han sido presentados como una revolución de la educación en línea. Son presentados como una alternativa a la alta demanda en la educación superior por la característica de ser abiertos y masivos y permitir la participación de una gran cantidad de estudiantes. Se han convertido en el entorno ideal para la recolección de datos y a través de la aplicación de analíticas del aprendizaje han permitido una mejor comprensión de cómo aprenden los estudiantes. Sin embargo, el acceso a los datos en las plataformas MOOC actuales de código abierto es limitado y a veces éstos son engorrosos de recolectar y procesar. Este artículo presenta una propuesta para recolectar y procesar los datos de las interacciones de los estudiantes con la plataforma Open edX a través de Scripts y un Collector basado en código Java

From MOOC to SPOC, an efficient and fun methodology for teaching marketing

INTRODUCCIÓN. Después de más de una década desde la aparición del primer curso MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), la literatura académica ha sido prolífica en estudiar los efectos de esta metodología diseñada para el entorno virtual. Numerosos estudios centrados en la investigación sobre los MOOCs ponen de manifiesto su controvertida existencia, y otros apuntan a su evolución hacia los SPOCs (Small Private Online Course). En este contexto las preguntas de investigación se refieren a detectar si el alumnado universitario de último curso, que ya cuenta con cierta competencia digital en su haber, conoce qué es un MOOC y si ha realizado alguno durante su carrera académica, especialmente en tiempos de pandemia cuando la docencia online estaba en su punto álgido. Por otro lado, dado que cambiamos a otro formato, conocer si el SPOC resulta una metodología eficaz y divertida para enseñar conceptos extracurriculares. MÉTODO. 391 estudiantes universitarios de último curso del Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ADE) de tres cursos académicos (2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21) respondieron voluntariamente e informados a un cuestionario online, tras realizar el SPOC. RESULTADOS. Los resultados indican que el 88,49% afirma desconocer su existencia. De aquellos que sí habían realizado algún MOOC previamente, el 95,12% lo hicieron por ser obligatorio como complemento a la formación, y sólo el 4,87% por interés personal en el tema. En ambos casos no hay diferencias ni por curso ni por sexo. El SPOC propuesto es considerado eficaz para aprender por un 82,6% del estudiantado y divertido por un 78%. En ambos casos la proporción de mujeres que lo perciben útil y divertido es mayor que la de los hombres. DISCUSIÓN. Este hecho viene a revelarnos la necesidad de revisitar esta metodología de enseñanza para redefinir mejor las estrategias de cara al futuro.INTRODUCTION. The first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) course appeared more than a decade ago and since then, the academic literature on this topic has been prolific in studying the effects of this methodology designed for the virtual environment. There are many studies focused on the research related to MOOCs, which state its controversial existence, as well as others indicating an evolution toward SPOCs (Small Private Online Course). In this context, the research questions refer to, on the one hand, to whether final year undergraduate students with a certain level of digital competence know what a MOOC is, and if they have done any during their academic career, especially during the period of the pandemic when the online learning methodologies were on their peak. On the other hand, since we moved from MOOC to SPOC, to discover whether the SPOC has been an efficient and enjoyable methodology for teaching extra-curricular contents. METHOD. 391 last-year Administration and Marketing students of three academic years (2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21) were asked to voluntarily complete, an online questionnaire, after completing the SPOC. RESULTS. The information was analyzed and the results indicated that more than 88.49% of the students claimed to be unaware of its existence, showing no significant statistical differences by gender or academic year. Of those who had previously done a MOOC, 95.12% did so because it was mandatory as a complementary course, and only 4.87% did so due to personal reasons. More than 82.6% of the students stated that it is an efficient methodology to learn extra contents, and more than 78% found it useful and fun. DISCUSSION. These facts reveal the need to revisit this teaching methodology to better redefine future strategies

An Examination of the Impact of Using Hybrid MOOCs on Students' Experiences and Achievements within Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: A Case Study of Male Students in Majmaah University

Ed. D. ThesisGlobally, many universities and colleges have been experiencing a transformation in pedagogy over the last decade where face to face learning has been integrated with the digital and online. MOOCs first emerged in 2008 and are platforms that have many online components able to offer university level courses to very large numbers of learners at no additional charge or relatively low costs for them. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has not been entirely left behind in this pedagogical revolution, but MOOCs have not yet been implemented on a country wide scale. This research attempts to understand whether Hybrid MOOCs (integration of massive open online courses and in class activities) could affect student academic achievement in terms of marks obtained. In addition, the thesis investigates the learner experience, attitudes, and challenges when they study with Hybrid MOOCs. The thesis employs a quasi-experimental research design, convergent parallel mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative), and multiple sources of data collection: semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and pre/post-tests. 81 BSc students (control group =36 /experimental group = 45) who studied the ‘Educational Technology and Communication Skills’ module at the Majmaah University in the 1st semester of 2017-2018 participated in this project for a whole 14-week semester. The study found that there was a statistically significant difference in the grades obtained by the experimental group when Hybrid MOOCs were deployed which was evident in the substantial difference in Mean marks obtained between the pre-test and post-test in this group. However, when comparing the marks obtained by the control group (studying with traditional face to face pedagogy) and experimental group (studying with Hybrid MOOCs) in their pre-test and post-tests, it was shown that there was no statistically significant difference (although the experimental group's marks were slightly better). The thesis results further indicated that the students had preferred Hybrid MOOCs learning, and particularly video-based instructions. It also revealed that students’ attitudes changed radically before and after using Hybrid MOOCs, as they were quite anxious prior to studying with the new teaching method, anticipating it to be complicated and complex. However, after their engagement, their attitudes and feelings changed significantly, and they showed positive sentiments towards this mode of studying. Challenges of MOOCs were largely related to outside issues and not to studying in this new mode. The implications of this study are significant, especially in regards to Hybrid MOOCs being employed in developing countries. The study is an important one as the ability of MOOCs to influence academic grades may be the decisive factor in them becoming a possible alternative to the face to face classes within KSA higher educational institutions. However, due to the limited scope of the study being conducted at one university in one city and all the participants being male, further research is needed in order to offer a more comprehensive account of the impact of this phenomenon on students’ grades. Keywords: Hybrid MOOCs, Students' Experiences, Academic Achievements, Attitude, Challenges, Higher Education, Saudi Arabi