Trends in MOOC completion
rates : The story so far!
Katy Jordan
The Open University
@katy_jordan
Futurelearn Analytics
Network Meeting
14th June 2015

Overview
1. How it began
2. Key results
3. Demonstration

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Started blogging at
http://moocmoocher.wordpress.com
CS101
HCI
Internet History,
Technology &
Security
Networked Life
Securing Digital
Democracy
Social Network Analysis
2012: Getting into MOOCs
Completed MOOCs Blogging Press Research

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Blogged
about final
project
Picked up
by Phil Hill
CNN Money
Magazine
Universities
UK report
Private Eye
Times Higher
Education
MRI invite
Art & Inquiry
Introduction to
Communication
Science
Online
Games:
Literature,
New Media,
and
Narrative
UX for the
web
Big Data for
Better
Performance
Early
Childhood
Education
2013: MOOC project goes global
Completed MOOCs Blogging Press Research
MRI project
Social &
Economic
Networks
E-learning &
Digital Cultures
Infographics &
Visualisation

2014 onwards: Research
findings and future directions
• Data collection ongoing
• Three papers:
1. Initial trends in enrolment and completion of massive
open online courses. The International Review of
Research in Open and Distance Learning, 15(1),
133-160 (2014).
2. Exploring co-studied massive open online course
subjects via social network analysis. International
Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning 9(8),
38-41 (2014).
3. Massive Open Online Course completion rates
revisited: Assessment, length and attrition. The
International Review of Research in Open and
Distributed Learning (in press).

Key results: IRRODL 2014
• Data collected from 02/2013 to 07/2013
• Enrolment n = 91, completion n = 42.
• How massive is massive? 43,000
• What is the average completion rate? 6.5%
• Enrolments decreasing over time.
• No correlation between university ranking or
enrolment and completion rate; negative correlation
with course length.

Key results: IRRODL 2015
• Data collection continued to 11/2013
• Enrolment n = 221, completion n = 129.
• Total enrolment continuing to decrease over time
• Completion increasing over time
• Completion negatively correlates with course length
• Peer assessed courses have lower completion rates

Key results: IRRODL 2015

Key results: IRRODL 2015

Current picture

Future directions
1. Considering different definitions of
completion
2. Developing model of course design
factors
3. Demographic factors and social
impact
-> All depend on availability and
collation of data

http://www.katyjordan.com/MOO
Cproject.html

Thank-you for listening
katy.jordan [at] open.ac.uk
@katy_jordan
http://moocmoocher.wordpress.com