This presentations zooms in on the impact of mobile access on learner interactions in MOOCs. It briefly touches the rationale, the methodology of the research and it offers a link to the final thesis, as well as to follow up research looking at self-directed learning.

1. Impact of mobile access on
learner interactions in a MOOC
Inge Ignatia de Waard
CALRG conference

2. What to expect?
• Background
• Research environment
• Methodology
• Findings
• Towards PhD research
• Status PhD pilot study

3. Background
• Professional expertise in mobile Health for
developing regions
• Personal and professional interest in online
learning, more particularly: Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOC)
• Master thesis Athabasca University, Canada
=> combining mLearning and MOOC
• => now: PhD student at OU looking at SDL in
mobile MOOC environment, FutureLearn

4. Research environment
MobiMOOC = mobile MOOC lab
• Using course spaces build for mobile (researching differences)
• Different facilitator approaches
(passive, active, participatory…)
• Different course architecture (linear, branching…)
• Different learning/teaching dynamics (behaviorist => social-
constructivist/connectivist)
• Different course durations

5. About MobiMOOC
A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on mobile
learning (mLearning) => MobiMOOC
1250 learners, 17 facilitators, 9 weeks, 14 mLearning
topics:
2 core course spaces:
Course wiki (http://mobimooc.wikispaces.com/)
Course discussion group
https://groups.google.com/group/mobimooc2012
• MobiMOOC 2011, first run: April-May 2011
• MobiMOOC 2012, September 2012

6. Research question
Central Question
How does mobile access impact learner interaction in a MOOC?
In this question ‘impact’ is the central word, which – in this case –
refers to whether learner interactions in MOOCs change in any given direction
(increase/decrease/stagnate) when a MOOC is made mobile enabled.
Sub-questions.
• Do course participants access a MOOC with their mobile devices if it is
made mobile enabled? (mobile web statistics)
• Is there a difference in learner interactions between mobile and non-
mobile users in an open, online course / MOOC? (Community of Inquiry
approach)
• How do the social versus cognitive academic interactions compare to each
sample group? (Community of Inquiry approach)
• Which factors influence mobile access? (Qualitative data analysis)
• What factors influence adult learners to engage in learner interactions in a
MOOC? (Qualitative data analysis)

7. Methodology
Sequential explanatory mixed methods design
Qualitative data collection/analysis:
• Web statistics of 2 course locations (course wiki, YouTube
media content)
• Online survey (reasons for choosing mobile, influencing
factors, importance added to personal learning, self-
directed learning capacity,
• Community of Inquiry (CoI) for learner interactions (course
discussion group)
Qualitative data collection/analysis:
• 1-o-1 structured interviews analyzed through a process of
open, axial and selective coding

8. Target population
112 MobiMOOC2012 participants engaging in
learner interactions
Quantitative phase
• Web analytics: everyone accessing wiki/YouTube
• Online survey and CoI: 34 self-proclaimed
moderately active participants divided into 2
groups: 18 mobile users, 16 non-mobile users.
Qualitative phase (1-o-1 interviews): 14 moderately
active participants (7 mobile and 7 non-mobile)

9. Quantitative findings
Web analytics looking at mobile use
• Factors influencing the access of content materials on the web (device
affordance, readability, time…),
• Definite influence on returning to or consuming content via mobile devices (first mobile
attempt, desktop return).
Online survey: Mobile users and learner interactions:
• found the ability to engage in learner interactions of more importance than the non-mobile
users.
• perceived themselves as better at self-directing their learning during the course
• engaged more frequently in answering questions and commenting on blogposts, whereas
the non-mobile user group engaged more in informal chatting (webinars).
• shared more information with people outside of MobiMOOC in comparison to the non-
mobile group.
• mentioned that time & location were deciding factors for using mobile devices.
Community of Inquiry: mobile versus non-mobile learner interactions :
• Significantly more learner interactions for the mobile group in comparison to the non-mobile
group.
• Mobile users engage more frequently in learner interactions than the non-mobile users. A
significant difference in the cognitive presence sub-categories. Mobile users seem to come
to a ‘resolution’ much more frequently than there non-mobile counterparts.

10. Qualitative findings
Open, axial and selective coding phase, analyzing 1-o-1
interviews with 14 moderately active participants (7
mobile, 7 non-mobile).
The study gave rise to a set of strategies that can optimize
the impact of mobile access on learner interactions in a
MOOC.

11. Strategies on design, self-directed
learning and digital skills
Design
• Offer a ubiquitous learning environment based on BYOD design and
content, making use of existing ubiquitous tools (social media, e-mail…) so
people can switch between devices at their own preference.
• Create a user-friendly, one button centralized access learning
environment, linked to a clear course overview to increase
transparency, user-friendliness .
Self-directed learning
• Provide self-directed learning strategies to the learners.
• Provide the learner with a mobile course overview/structure that s/he can
organize for self-directing learning purposes.
• Enabling immediate access to content/discussion areas adds to time
management and self-directed learning.
Digital skills
• Increase the necessary (mobile) digital skills of the learner. If a course is
accessible for a multitude of devices, it affects (the need for) digital
skills, because multiple devices have multiple characteristics and
affordances.

12. Strategies on content, human learning
environment and course activities
Content
• Offer an array of course materials, varying from bite size snacks to big, time
consuming content. Offering the learner a choice to tailor the content to their
current contexts.
• Provide a sense of ownership about the content and the learning:
BYOD, contextualized options, this adds to the overall learner motivation.
Human learning environment
• Ensure a safe learning environment. This essential to increase learner interactions
in general. Tolerance, trust, daring to write in a non-native language and knowing
that one can pose every content related question and not being judged for it is
essential.
• Allow networks to emerge. A community feeling based upon easy (mobile) access
increases the formation of a more durable professional network for those
connecting to each other in a way that surpasses the course duration.
Course activities
• Embed icebreaker activities and/or discussions at the beginning of the course that
demand only a fraction of time to interact and can be accessed cross devices.
These activities should also be linked to intellectual topics.

13. Prelude to PhD: pilot study
First internal FutureLearn course July 2013.

14. SDL in new complexity
Self-directed learning
• Provide self-directed learning (SDL) strategies to the
learners.
• Provide the learner with a mobile course
overview/structure that s/he can organize for self-
directing learning purposes.
• Enabling immediate access to content/discussion areas
adds to time management and self-directed learning.
• => but what are the SDL strategies in a complex
environment like a mobile MOOC? => research gap

15. FutureLearn research environment
First initial, internal FutureLearn course for internal testing – target population is
part of FutureLearn team and partners.

16. Why a phenomenological approach?
Phenomenological research is a strategy of inquiry in which
the researcher identifies the essence of human experiences
about a phenomenon as described by participants.
The procedure involves studying a small number of subjects
through extensive and prolonged engagement do develop
patterns and relationships of meaning (Moustakas, 1994).

17. 3 stages for collecting data
The pilot stage will consist of 3 stages to grasp the
expectations, experiences and reflections of the FutureLearn
participants.
• Phase 1 - expectations: using an online survey which will be
delivered to all pilot study participants two weeks before the
FuturLearn course.
• Phase 2 – keeping learning diary logs: two learning diary logs: a
weekly and a daily learning log, used during the course.
• Phase 3 – reflections: structured focus group interviews planned
once the course has finished.
Expectations Experiences Reflections

18. Online Survey Pre-Course
• Tool used: SurveyMonkey (mobile)
• Data collected: prior to course
• Topics covered:
– MOOC experience
– mLearning experience
– Social media experience
– FutureLearn expectations

19. Learning Diary Logs
Builds upon Vavoula’s (2005) learning diary
templates. The templates have been updated and
altered to be appropriate both for the FutureLearn
platform and the contemporary learning realities
• Weekly learning log: reflects the type of
FutureLearn interactions the participant engaged
in
• Daily learning log: reflects actual learning for
each day the participant engages in FutureLearn.

20. Structured Focus Group Interview
Looking at the participants reflections on the
course, their devices used, their individual and
collaborative learning experiences, their overall
evaluation of the course and the strategies they adopted
related to SDL.

21. Want to read more?
• The full mobile impact on MOOC thesis can be
accessed here).
• A draft report with literature review and methodology
on pilot study with research instruments, can be found
here (with some brief pointers on writing a probation
report).

22. Contact me: questions, networking…
22
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