This paper discusses the future of MOOCs based on recent research and acknowledged affordances of videogame’s design. The interest in MOOCS for educational purposes has increased over the last few years, with researchers identifying key pedagogical features that make the success of these inherently powerful learning tools. However, low student motivation and high dropout rates have somehow changed the original expectations of many researchers, despite the MOOC user base doubling in 2015. So, in this study we survey recent literature looking for answers, and discuss the evidence gathered from specific MOOCs with over one thousand participants, namely, pioneering iMOOC courses at Universidade Aberta (the Portuguese Open University). Finally, we look at the gaming world and discuss some findings that may benefit the learning design of MOOCs, considering that, besides the huge appeal of these (free) courses, there are recurring shortcomings that we have to alleviate. We follow up on the tip that gamification, and other emerging strategies, such as social networking and digital storytelling, may be vital to assure a sustainable future for open education and MOOCs.

1. José Bidarra & José Coelho
Universidade Aberta, Portugal
ONCE UPON A TIP... A STORY OF
MOOCS AND GAMIFICATION
THE ONLINE, OPEN AND FLEXIBLE HIGHER EDUCATION CONFERENCE
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY, MILTON KEYNES (UK), 2017

2. STATE OF THE MOOC
The total number of massive open
online courses offered between last
year and this year has increased by
over 2,000 new MOOCs (2016-17)
overall enrollments in higher
education are down -3.2% (2012-15)
annual growth rate for enrollments in
distance education courses or degree
programs was +3.9% (2012-15)
US Data from Babson, e-Literate, and WCET

3. MAIN FINDINGS US (2017)
Finding 1: amid declining
enrollments in higher education
overall, private for-profits
depopulate, while private non-profits
rise in popularity
Finding 2: while disparities widen
between top and bottom ranked
universities, a relationship develops
between open online education and
a quality education
Finding 3: international universities
begin to compete with MOOC
offerings
Finding 4: verifiable testing and
certification become increasingly
credible for proving skills-based
education
https://www.onlinecoursereport.com/state-of-the-mooc-report/

4. MAIN FINDINGS EU (2017)
The uptake of MOOCs in Europe is
maturing at a much higher level
compared to the US.
Financial reasons are the least
important objective, only 17% of the
institutions viewed it as (highly)
relevant.
Increase institutional visibility and
flexible learning opportunities are
seen as the most important
objectives for HEIs.
The majority of HEIs (66%) are not
connected to one of the big MOOC
platform providers (e.g., edX,
Coursera, FutureLearn, Miriada X,
etc.), but use other MOOC platforms.
http://eadtu.eu/documents/Publications/OEenM/MOOC_Strategies_of_European_Institutions.pdf

5. THE BIG QUESTION
Whether the privatized status of MOOC
providers will close or overshadow the more free
and open spirit with which they were created
Main providers in the US are now charging fees
for MOOCs and their other online courses…
State of the MOOC 2017: A Year of Privatized and Open Education Growth
(https://www.onlinecoursereport.com/state-of-the-mooc-report/)

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The projections for 2017 and
beyond can be exponential
(according to Class Central).
More and more people are
signing up for MOOCs every
year.
Coursera and Udacity launched
short programmes in 2014,
which are called Specializations
and Nanodegrees respectively.
The world’s largest MOOC had
almost half million students
(Understanding IELTS on
FutureLearn, by British Council)
The three bigest MOOC
providers in the world are now
Coursera, edX and FutureLearn.
edX launched their Xseries
programme (2013), which
consists of a certificate gained
from the completion of a series
of courses.
In 2015, Universidade Aberta
started the first MOOC – called
iMOOC – the first in Portuguese
language (with 1100 students).
This year at UAb project Aula
Aberta started with eleven
courses and has reached about
5500 students (registered).
SOME HIGHLIGHTS
https://www.class-central.com/report/moocs-2015-stats/

7. AULA ABERTA

8. ECO PROJECT (EU)

9. FOLLOW-UP ON ISSUES
High dropout rate, reported by most providers (80-90%);
Lack of digital skills or online learning skills;
Starting late or pausing during the course;
Low student motivation and effective interaction with peers;
Lack of support for social presence within the course;
Need for a sense of trust among students;
Low engagement with course materials and activities;
Lack of scaffolding strategies to help students progress;
Difficulties in promoting collaboration in small groups.

10. GROUP WORK
GAMIFICATION
SOCIAL PRESENCE
STORYTELLING
Points, levels, badges, rankings, leader
boards and other game-like devices.
These connect with storytelling,
engagement, motivation and
achievement.
Stories that engage students with
subjects and motivate studying, while
acquiring knowledge, skills, beliefs and
attitudes valued by scientific
communities.
Ways of building trust among students by
sharing feelings, experiences, examples
and ideas. The use of personal profiles
and photos is encouraged.
Collaboration in group activities involved
in problem solving is supported, instead
of the loose development of self-serving
relationships.
LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS

11. DIGITAL STORYTELLING
Storytelling is based on a set of four
elements that are still valid in the
digital age, namely:
• A narrator
• A plot
• A setting
• Characters
Digital media and resources are used in the
construction of the story. If different media
are used together the term usually used is
Transmedia Storytelling
There is usually a conflict of some
kind. Some common types of conflict
may include:
• Conflict between one person and
another or between groups;
• Conflict between a person and the
natural environment;
• Conflict between an individual and the
society.
11

12. CONTENT GAMIFICATION
Game design elements in non-game contexts (Deterding et al., 2011):
• Points: points are fantastic motivators and can be used to reward users/students across
multiple levels or dimensions of a gamified activity. In general people love to be
rewarded and, when interacting with a point system, they feel like they have gained
something.
• Levels: these are often defined as point thresholds, so the students (or users) can use
them to indicate a higher status and have access to bonus content.
• Challenges, badges, achievements, and trophies: the introduction of goals in an activity
makes students (users) feel like they are working toward a goal. Normally, challenges
should be configured based on specific actions and should include user/student
rewards when they accomplish certain milestones with badges, achievements or
trophies.
• Leader boards or “high-score table”: in the context of gamification, high-score tables
are used to track and display desired actions, using completion to drive valued
behaviour. In intrinsic motivation terms, they are one of the most important features of
a game, bringing the aspiration factor to the process.
12

13. GAME MECHANICS, DYNAMICS AND EMOTIONS
Badges Avatars
Votes
Leaderboards
Achievements
Boss Fights
Virtual GoodsGuilds Quests
Rewards
Progress Bars
Skill Trees
Experience Points
Stat Points

14. MOOCS VS. GAMES
In a game a returning player is always welcome, he doesn’t have to start over.
However, a returning student usually misses relevant discussions and interactions
in a MOOC.
Recovery from a period of inactivity would be very complicated for a MOOC
student, as usually the best strategy is to look for another course in a following
date.
A player in an online game can interact only within a group, as the players are
organized in groups, and they can talk to each other within the game stage.
In MOOCs communications are global and all participants must be in the same
stage of the course. Otherwise there is some chaos in the interaction process and
a great deal of empathy is lost.
In online games there is usually some incentive for a player to return to the game
every day (to increase score, improve results, etc.). In a MOOC the norm is
usually a fixed schedule of activities that must be fulfilled in time to avoid loosing
pace and place. But a time limit must always be present in MOOCs as in games.
Global rankings and scoreboards are more common in games then MOOCs.

15. ONCE UPON A TIP...

16. GRAPHICS
TEXT
VIDEO
Used in the form of figures, diagrams, flowcharts, and
other graphics relevant to informatics.
For the initial presentation of the course only... we
tried to avoid “talking heads”.
Course units are based on text with multiple choice
and other types of tests. A system of points and a
scoreboard are associated with these tests.
COMPUTER SCIENCE MOOC

17. ONLINE COURSE ON ICT

18. ONLINE COURSE ON ICT

19. ONLINE COURSE ON ICT

20. NEXT MOVES
Incorporate appropriate challenges that are “doable” and “rewarded”, as in
more traditional “problem-solving” strategies.
Automatic classification of students into leagues according to their accumulated
grades, as in a ranking table.
Number of “likes” received during activities, as in social networks.
Leader boards based on competition amongst “friends” rather than amongst
random strangers to whom the individual user cannot relate.
Online record of achievements, with issue of a badge reflecting the work
completed to get it.
Incorporate a serious game into a MOOC (e.g. Ingress and mobile learning).
The MOOC itself is structured as a game. Instead of following a more traditional
“lecture model”, take the most crucial elements of game design and apply them
to MOOC design at macro level. (Tan, 2013).

21. NAU PROJECT
Portuguese MOOC initiative - government
supported project financed by EU funding.

22. THANK
YOU!
Jose.Bidarra@uab.pt