Creating collaborative groups in a MOOC: a homogeneous engagement grouping approach

Producción CientíficaCollaborative learning can improve the pedagogical effectiveness of MOOCs. Group formation, an essential step in the design of collaborative learning activities, can be challenging in MOOCs given the scale and the wide variety in such contexts. We discuss the need for considering the behaviours of the students in the course to form groups in MOOC contexts, and propose a grouping approach that employs homogeneity in terms of students’ engagement in the course. Two grouping strategies with different degrees of homogeneity are derived from this approach, and their impact to form successful groups is examined in a real MOOC context. The grouping criteria were established using student activity logs (e.g. page-views). The role of the timing of grouping was also examined by carrying out the intervention once in the first and once in the second half of the course. The results indicate that in both interventions, the groups formed with a greater degree of homogeneity had higher rates of task-completion and peer interactions, Additionally, students from these groups reported higher levels of satisfaction with their group experiences. On the other hand, a consistent improvement of all indicators was observed in the second intervention, since student engagement becomes more stable later in the course.Agencia Estatal de Investigación Española - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (grants TIN2017-85179-C3-2-R / TIN2014-53199-C3-2-RJunta de Castilla y León - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (grant VA257P18)Comisión Europea (grant 588438-EPP-1-2017-1-EL-EPPKA2-KA

Creating collaborative groups in a MOOC: a homogeneous engagement grouping approach

Collaborative learning can improve the pedagogical effectiveness of MOOCs. Group formation, an essential step in the design of collaborative learning activities, can be challenging in MOOCs given the scale and the wide variety in such contexts. We discuss the need for considering the behaviours of the students in the course to form groups in MOOC contexts, and propose a grouping approach that employs homogeneity in terms of students? engagement in the course. Two grouping strategies with different degrees of homogeneity are derived from this approach, and their impact to form successful groups is examined in a real MOOC context. The grouping criteria were established using student activity logs (e.g. page-views). The role of the timing of grouping was also examined by carrying out the intervention once in the first and once in the second half of the course. The results indicate that in both interventions, the groups formed with a greater degree of homogeneity had higher rates of task-completion and peer interactions, Additionally, students from these groups reported higher levels of satisfaction with their group experiences. On the other hand, a consistent improvement of all indicators was observed in the second intervention, since student engagement becomes more stable later in the course

Toward Project-based Learning and Team Formation in Open Learning Environments

Open Learning Environments, MOOCs, as well as Social Learning Networks, embody a new approach to learning. Although both emphasise interactive participation, somewhat surprisingly, they do not readily support bond creating and motivating collaborative learning opportunities. Providing project-based learning and team formation services in Open Learning Environment can overcome these shortcomings. The differences between Open Learning Environments and formal learning settings, in particular with respect to scale and the amount and types of data available on the learners, suggest the development of automated services for the initiation of project-based learning and team formation. Based on current theory on project-based learning and team formation, a team formation process model is presented for the initiation of projects and team formation. The data it uses is classified into the categories “knowledge”, “personality” and “preferences”. By varying the required levels of inter-member fit on knowledge and personality, the team formation process can favour different teamwork outcomes, such as facilitating learning, creative problem solving or enhancing productivity. The approach receives support from a field survey. The survey also revealed that in every-day teaching practice in project-based learning settings team formation theory is little used and that project team formation is often left to learner self-selection. Furthermore, it shows that the data classification we present is valued differently in literature than in daily practice. The opportunity to favour different team outcomes is highly appreciated, in particular with respect to facilitating learning. The conclusions demonstrate that overall support is gained for the suggested approach to project-based learning and team formation and the development of a concomitant automated service

Design and Operationalization of Connectivist Activities: an Approach through Business Process Management

International audienceThe work presented in this paper focuses on massive open online course (MOOC) environments, and more specifically on the activity of designing and implementing pedagogical scenarios for a connectivist MOOC (cMOOC). This paper presents a research work, which aims to propose a model and tool to support the design of connectivist MOOC scenarios. The major contribution of this work is a visual authoring tool that is intended for the design and deployment of cMOOC-oriented scenarios. The tool is based on the BPMN notation that we have extended to suit our objectives. The tool was evaluated primarily from the point of view of utility and usability. The findings confirm that the tool can be used to design connectivist pedagogical scenarios and can provide all the necessary elements to operationalize such courses

Supporting teachers in the design and implementation of group formation policies to carry out group learning activities in massive and variable scale on-line learning contexts

Los MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses, Cursos Abiertos Masivos en Línea), etiquetados como nuevo paradigma disruptivo en el entorno educativo, son criticados por un amplio sector de la comunidad educativa debido a sus altas tasas de abandono y a su baja calidad instruccional. La inclusión de pedagogías activas, tales como el aprendizaje colaborativo, en este tipo de cursos podría mejorar su calidad instruccional, además de aumentar la motivación e implicación de los alumnos. Sin embargo, la escala masiva y sus variaciones durante el curso, dificulta la introducción de dichas pedagogías y en especial la formación y mantenimiento de grupos de trabajo de alumnos. El apoyo a los profesores en las tareas de gestión de estos grupos, podría facilitar la adopción de diseños pedagógicos colaborativos. Para abordar esta meta y poder llevar a cabo el desarrollo de herramientas de apoyo a los profesores, es conveniente un conocimiento amplio y profundo del contexto y del problema a acometer, así como una visión holística del mismo. Por este motivo, este tesis propone como objetivo general, el dar apoyo a los profesores interesados en introducir actividades realizadas en grupo en este tipo de cursos, tanto en el diseño de las políticas de agrupación adecuadas para cada situación, como en la implementación de dichas políticas dentro de la plataforma educativa elegida. Para ello, se crea un marco conceptual que permita categorizar los factores relevantes a tener en cuenta para formar grupos de alumnos o equipos, en el contexto educativo MOOC, así como las principales características de este contexto que pueden influir en dichas agrupaciones. Tomando como base dicho marco, se desarrollan guías de diseño con recomendaciones y directrices que ayudan a los profesores a diseñar sus propias políticas de agrupación, así como herramientas informáticas de apoyo, que permitan implementar dichas políticas de agrupación en las diferentes plataformas educativas. A través de tres estudios en MOOCs reales y otras técnicas de investigación, tales como revisión de literatura y opinión de expertos, se han explorado propuestas de agrupación basadas en las analíticas de aprendizaje y las dinámicas de los alumnos monitorizadas durante el curso. Además, se ha generado un modelo para la creación de guías de diseño, y una arquitectura para el desarrollo de herramientas informáticas, independientes de la plataforma educativa elegida, que sirvan para implementar las agrupaciones diseñadas. Tomando como base estos modelos, se han creado pruebas de concepto que han permitido comprobar su viabilidad y su utilidad.Departamento de Informática (Arquitectura y Tecnología de Computadores, Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial, Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos)Doctorado en Informátic

Killer Apps: Developing Novel Applications That Enhance Team Coordination, Communication, and Effectiveness

As part of the Lorentz workshop, “Interdisciplinary Insights into Group and Team Dynamics,” held in Leiden, Netherlands, this article describes how Geeks and Groupies (computer and social scientists) may benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration toward the development of killer apps in team contexts that are meaningful and challenging for both. First, we discuss interaction processes during team meetings as a research topic for both Groupies and Geeks. Second, we highlight teamwork in health care settings as an interdisciplinary research challenge. Third, we discuss how an automated solution for optimal team design could benefit team effectiveness and feed into team-based interventions. Fourth, we discuss team collaboration in massive open online courses as a challenge for both Geeks and Groupies. We argue for the necessary integration of social and computational research insights and approaches. In the hope of inspiring future interdisciplinary collaborations, we develop criteria for evaluating killer apps—including the four proposed here—and discuss future research challenges and opportunities that potentially derive from these developments

Supporting Teachers in the Design and Implementation of Group Formation Policies in MOOCs: A Case Study

Producción CientíficaCollaborative learning strategies, which can promote student learning and achievement, have rarely been incorporated into pedagogies of MOOCs. Such strategies, when implemented properly, can boost the quality of MOOC pedagogy. Nonetheless, the use of collaborative groups in MOOCs is scarce due to several yet critical contextual factors (e.g., massiveness, and variable levels of engagement) that hamper the group formation process. Therefore, there is a need for supporting MOOC teachers in the design and implementation of group formation policies when implementing collaborative strategies. This paper presents a study where two instruments were used to explore solutions to this need: a guide to support teachers during the planning of the group formation, and a technological tool to help them implement the collaborative groups designed and to monitor them. According to the results of the study, the design guide made the teachers aware of the contextual factors to consider when forming the collaborative groups, and allowed teachers inform some configuration parameters of the activity (e.g., duration and assessment type) and the group formation (e.g., criteria and parameters needed to build the groups). The technological tool was successfully incorporated into the MOOC platform. Lessons learned from the findings of the study are shared and their potential to inform the design guide is discussed.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Projects TIN2014-53199- C3-2-R and TIN2017-85179-C3-2-R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. VA082U16)European Commission (Proyect 588438-EPP-1-2017-1-EL-EPPKA2-KA

How to design for persistence and retention in MOOCs?

Design of educational interventions is typically carried out following a design cycle involving phases of investigation, conceptualization, prototyping, implementation, execution and evaluation. This cycle can be applied at different levels of granularity e.g. learning activity, module, course or programme. In this paper we consider an aspect of learner behavior that can be critical to the success of many MOOCs i.e. their persistence to study, and the related theme of learner retention. We reflect on the impact that consideration of these can have on design decisions at different stages in the design cycle with the aim of en-hancing MOOC design in relation to learner persistence and retention, with particular attention to the European context

Music Learning with Massive Open Online Courses

Steels, Luc et al.-- Editors: Luc SteelsMassive Open Online Courses, known as MOOCs, have arisen as the logical consequence of marrying long-distance education with the web and social media. MOOCs were confidently predicted by advanced thinkers decades ago. They are undoubtedly here to stay, and provide a valuable resource for learners and teachers alike. This book focuses on music as a domain of knowledge, and has three objectives: to introduce the phenomenon of MOOCs; to present ongoing research into making MOOCs more effective and better adapted to the needs of teachers and learners; and finally to present the first steps towards 'social MOOCs’, which support the creation of learning communities in which interactions between learners go beyond correcting each other's assignments. Social MOOCs try to mimic settings for humanistic learning, such as workshops, small choirs, or groups participating in a Hackathon, in which students aided by somebody acting as a tutor learn by solving problems and helping each other. The papers in this book all discuss steps towards social MOOCs; their foundational pedagogy, platforms to create learning communities, methods for assessment and social feedback and concrete experiments. These papers are organized into five sections: background; the role of feedback; platforms for learning communities; experiences with social MOOCs; and looking backwards and looking forward. Technology is not a panacea for the enormous challenges facing today's educators and learners, but this book will be of interest to all those striving to find more effective and humane learning opportunities for a larger group of students.Funded by the European Commission's OpenAIRE2020 project.Peer reviewe