Research Trends in Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Theses and Dissertations: Surfing the Tsunami Wave

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have attracted a great deal of attention by higher education and private enterprises. MOOCs have evolved considerably since their emergence in 2008, all the while given rise to academic discussions on MOOC impact, design and reach. In an effort to understand MOOCs more comprehensively, this study analyzes theses and dissertations (N = 51) related to MOOCs and published between 2008 and 2015, identifying research trends from these academic documents. Theses and dissertations within this research scope were gathered through a comprehensive search in multiple academic databases. For the purposes of the study, the research employed a systematic review approach. In order to reveal trends in research themes, emphasize theoretical/conceptual backgrounds, research designs and models, first a document analysis was used to collect data and this was followed by a content analysis. Our research findings indicate that MOOC research is generally derived from education, engineering and computer science, as well as information and communication technology related disciplines. Qualitative methodology linked to a case study research model is most common, and the theoretical/conceptual backgrounds are usually distance education related. Remarkably, nearly half of the studies didn’t benefit from any theoretical or conceptual perspectives. In sum, this study presents an evaluation regarding research trends derived from MOOC theses and dissertations, and provides directions for future MOOC research

Emotive Vocabulary in MOOCs: Context & Participant Retention

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) have been growing in popularity with educational researchers, instructors, and learners in online environments. Online discussions are as important in MOOCs as in other online courses. Online discussions that occur in MOOCs are influenced by additional factors resulting from their volatile and voluntary participation structure. This article aims to examine discussions that took place in MobiMOOC in the spring of 2011, a MOOC structured around mobile learning. This line of inquiry focused on language from the discussions that contained emotive vocabulary in the MobiMOOC discussion forums. Emotive vocabulary is words or phrases that are implicitly emotional (happy, sad, frustrated) or relate to emotional contexts (I wasn't able to...). This emotive vocabulary, when present, was examined to determine whether it could serve as a mechanism for predicting future and continued participation in the MOOC. In this research, narrative inquiry approach was used in order to shine a light on the possible predictive qualities of emotive text in both participants who withdrew from the course as well as moderately or moderately active participants. The results indicated that emotive vocabulary usage did not significantly predict or impact participation retention in MobiMOOC. (Contains 5 figures and 4 endnotes.)Fil: Koutropoulos, Apostolos. University of Massachussets; Estados UnidosFil: Gallagher, Michael Sean. University of London; Reino UnidoFil: Abajian, Sean C.. California State University; Estados UnidosFil: Inge de Waard. Institute of Tropical Medicine; BélgicaFil: Hogue, Rebecca Joanne. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Keskin, Nilgün Özdamar. Anadolu University; TurquíaFil: Rodriguez, Carlos Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentin

Emotive Vocabulary in MOOCs: Context & Participant Retention

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) have been growing in popularity with educational researchers, instructors, and learners in online environments. Online discussions are as important in MOOCs as in other online courses. Online discussions that occur in MOOCs are influenced by additional factors resulting from their volatile and voluntary participation structure. This article aims to examine discussions that took place in MobiMOOC in the spring of 2011, a MOOC structured around mobile learning. This line of inquiry focused on language from the discussions that contained emotive vocabulary in the MobiMOOC discussion forums. Emotive vocabulary is words or phrases that are implicitly emotional (happy, sad, frustrated) or relate to emotional contexts (I wasn't able to...). This emotive vocabulary, when present, was examined to determine whether it could serve as a mechanism for predicting future and continued participation in the MOOC. In this research, narrative inquiry approach was used in order to shine a light on the possible predictive qualities of emotive text in both participants who withdrew from the course as well as moderately or moderately active participants. The results indicated that emotive vocabulary usage did not significantly predict or impact participation retention in MobiMOOC. (Contains 5 figures and 4 endnotes.)Fil: Koutropoulos, Apostolos. University of Massachussets; Estados UnidosFil: Gallagher, Michael Sean. University of London; Reino UnidoFil: Abajian, Sean C.. California State University; Estados UnidosFil: Inge de Waard. Institute of Tropical Medicine; BélgicaFil: Hogue, Rebecca Joanne. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Keskin, Nilgün Özdamar. Anadolu University; TurquíaFil: Rodriguez, Carlos Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentin

Merging MOOC and mLearning for Increased Learner Interaction

In this paper, the authors suggest the merger of the Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) format and mobile learning (mLearning) based on mutual affordances of both contemporary learning/teaching formats to investigate learner interactions and dialogues in an open online course. The paper presents a case study of how MobiMOOC, a course created using the MOOC format, demonstrates the synergistic characteristics between the MOOC format and mLearning, making a combination of both fields ideal for contemporary, digital, collaborative learning, and knowledge construction based on learner interactions and dialogue. MobiMOOC was a six-week online course focusing on mLearning that ran in April and May 2011. An endof-course survey providesinsight thatsupportsthe synergies between MOOCs and mLearning: collaboration, informal and lifelong learning, and dialogue.Fil: De Waard, Inge. Athabasca University; BélgicaFil: Koutropoulos, Apostolos. University of Massachusetts; Estados UnidosFil: Hogue, Rebecca J.. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Abajian, Sean C.. California State University Northridge (calif. State Univ. Northridge);Fil: Keskin, Nilgün Özdamar. Anadolu University; TurquíaFil: Rodriguez, Carlos Osvaldo. Universidad del Cema. Departamento de Ingeniería Informatica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gallagher, Michael Sean. University of Edinburgh; Reino Unid

Using mLearning and MOOCs to understand chaos, emergence, and complexity in education

In this paper, we look at how the massive open online course (MOOC) format developed by connectivist researchers and enthusiasts can help analyze the complexity, emergence, and chaos at work in the field of education today. We do this through the prism of a MobiMOOC, a six-week course focusing on mLearning that ran from April to May 2011. MobiMOOC embraced the core MOOC components of self-organization, connectedness, openness, complexity, and the resulting chaos, and, as such, serves as an interesting paradigm for new educational orders that are currently emerging in the field. We discuss the nature of participation in MobiMOOC, the use of mobile technology and social media, and how these factors contributed to a chaotic learning environment with emerging phenomena. These emerging phenomena resulted in a transformative educational paradigm.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

Evaluation of the Relationship between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Pulmonary Functions in Adult Asthma

Aim: This study was aimed to determine the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitaminD [25(OH)D] levels and the pulmonary functions in adult asthma patients.Material and Methods: A total of 131 asthmatic patients’ general characteristics, asthmasymptoms, pulmonary function test, asthma control test (ACT) scores, serum 25(OH)D levels,body weight, and height were recorded. Body mass indexes (BMIs) of the patients werecalculated and World Health Organization criteria were used for the classification. Patientswith serum 25(OH)D levels below 20 ng/mL were classified as having a deficiency, those with21-29 ng/mL as having an insufficiency, and those with 30 ng/mL and above as having normalserum vitamin D levels.Results: The serum 25(OH)D levels of patients in the uncontrolled asthma group, accordingto the ACT score, were found to be lower than those of patients in the controlled group(p=0.002). It was determined that as the serum 25(OH)D levels of the patients increased, theACT scores also increased significantly (r=0.280, p=0.001). Additionally it was found thateach 1 ng/mL increase in 25(OH)D level was associated with an increase of 0.176 L in forcedvital capacity (FVC). In addition it was determined that as the serum 25(OH)D levelsincreased, the patients’ FVCs also increased (OR=1.056, 95% CI=1.003-1.113, p=0.038).Although the change was not statistically significant (p=0.081), as serum 25(OH)D levelsincreased, the ACT scores also increased.Conclusion: Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were frequently found in adults withasthma and there was a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and pulmonary function

Evaluation of the Relationship between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Pulmonary Functions in Adult Asthma

Aim: This study was aimed to determine the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitaminD [25(OH)D] levels and the pulmonary functions in adult asthma patients.Material and Methods: A total of 131 asthmatic patients’ general characteristics, asthmasymptoms, pulmonary function test, asthma control test (ACT) scores, serum 25(OH)D levels,body weight, and height were recorded. Body mass indexes (BMIs) of the patients werecalculated and World Health Organization criteria were used for the classification. Patientswith serum 25(OH)D levels below 20 ng/mL were classified as having a deficiency, those with21-29 ng/mL as having an insufficiency, and those with 30 ng/mL and above as having normalserum vitamin D levels.Results: The serum 25(OH)D levels of patients in the uncontrolled asthma group, accordingto the ACT score, were found to be lower than those of patients in the controlled group(p=0.002). It was determined that as the serum 25(OH)D levels of the patients increased, theACT scores also increased significantly (r=0.280, p=0.001). Additionally it was found thateach 1 ng/mL increase in 25(OH)D level was associated with an increase of 0.176 L in forcedvital capacity (FVC). In addition it was determined that as the serum 25(OH)D levelsincreased, the patients’ FVCs also increased (OR=1.056, 95% CI=1.003-1.113, p=0.038).Although the change was not statistically significant (p=0.081), as serum 25(OH)D levelsincreased, the ACT scores also increased.Conclusion: Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were frequently found in adults withasthma and there was a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and pulmonary function

The Effect of the Pandemic on the Performance of Tourist Guides and the Practice of Their Professions: A Qualitative Study in the Cappadocia Region

Crises are the turning points where all industries are heavily affected, national economies experience significant problems, and only businesses which develop appropriate strategies and methods can survive. Sometimes natural disasters and sometimes terrorist attacks may cause these crisis periods to occur. In such cases, people first give up on their luxury consumption, such as their touristic travels. This situation makes the tourism sector to be one of the most vulnerable sectors. Tourism is a labor-intensive industry and one of the first sectors affected by such negativities. Therefore, tourism workers particularly feel many difficulties in such periods. One of these affected occupational groups is the tour guiding profession. This study aims to reveal the tour guides' experiences during the pandemic, which caused a significant sectoral crisis, and the effect of these experiences on their performance. The research carried out a qualitative research method and phenomenological research design. Professional tour guides were selected with snowball sampling, which is one of the purposive sampling methods. The ethical compliance of the prepared interview form was endorsed by the Iğdır University Ethics Committee Approval, dated 01.04.2021-No. 2021/12.Interviews were conducted with 20 professional tour guides registered at Nevşehir Chamber of Guides. The audio recordings obtained from the interviews were transcripted and identified as the MAXQDA project. In the study, content analysis was used as the analysis method. Three main themes and ten sub-themes were created using the data from the literature and the field. As a result of the coding process, the most repeated principal theme was determined as "Psychological and Behavioral Results." The most repeated sub-theme was "Professional Dissatisfaction." The research results have revealed that professional tour guides were not satisfied with their profession during the pandemic period, and the pandemic process had unfavorable effects on their performance

USING THE REVISED BLOOM TAXONOMY IN DESIGNING LEARNING WITH MOBILE APPS

Mobile learning has been reshaping the mobile applications and requesting a different pedagogy. Therefore, the applications designed for mobile learning are expected to be compatible with the desired skills in learning objectives and learning outcomes. It is recommended to determine learning objectives and learning outcomes that support appropriate pedagogy for mobile learning while designing an application. In this study, the use of the revised Bloom Taxonomy in designing mobile learning applications was evaluated in terms of cognitive processes and learning outcomes for the realization of effective learning. Besides, the benefits of revised Bloom Taxonomy are evaluated on issues such as analyzing the objectives of the syllabus or a curriculum, the classification of learning activities according to the learning objectives, the recognition of the relationship between assessment and learning/teaching activities. This study also introduces a few alternative models apart from revised Bloom’s Taxonomy and presents some discussions about these models. Then, a range of mobile applications has been suggested for open and distance learners