This presentation was part of the eLearn 2015 conference in Waikaloa, Hawaii. The presentation goes through the high level findings from a Spring 2015 research study on UVa student perceptions and behaviors of MOOCs.

1. MOOCs: Perception and Usage
Patterns of UVa Students
Dr. Kristin Olson Palmer
@kpatwork
Director of Online Learning Programs
Office of the Provost, UVa
http://provost.virginia.edu/open-learning

2. Fired/Rehired President
UVa partner with Coursera
MOOCs from 2012-2014
Research Focus, Elite Public
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Me: Start-Ups and Education

3. What do UVa students
think about MOOCs?
What do they do in
MOOCs?

4. Method
Online Survey
Clickstream Data
Spring 2015

5. Online Survey
• April 2015
• n = 52
• 6 Likert scale questions
• 4 open-ended questions

6. Clickstream Data
• Video views and downloads
• Quiz behavior
• Discussion forums participation

7. Online Survey Findings
Three groups of students:
1. MOOC was required
2. MOOC was optional
3. MOOC was not related

8. Students in a MOOC that was
required or optional indicated higher
actual versus anticipated value of
videos, quizzes and discussion
forums.

9. Students cite ease of use and
convenience as what they liked most.
The time commitment is what they
liked least.

10. Students want face-to-face classes
with more class materials available
online.

11. Clickstream Data Findings
Two groups of students:
1. Students who took the MOOC as required
for their class
2. Students where the MOOC was optional

12. For MOOCs that were required as part of
residential course work, the data indicates
that students completed whatever
components were specifically required as
part of the course grade.
A majority of the students watched some
of the course videos though no one
watched all.

13. For MOOCs that were optional, the
data indicates students watch some
lectures and take some quizzes
although rarely download videos or
post to discussion forums.
If students take the quizzes, chances
are high that they will take the quizzes
multiple times.

14. Conclusions
Residential UVa students:
• Want to keep traditional
classrooms
• Want more online resources
• Will participate in online
materials that are required for
their grade

15. Thank You!
kristin@virginia.edu
434-249-6659
Dr. Kristin Olson Palmer on LinkedIn