Today, most students enrolling in a MOOC already have attended to another MOOC before. We study here a subcategory of these students, who register to the same MOOC several times, which we call Recurring Students (RS). Using data collected during three 5-week sessions of the GdP MOOC (N > 14,000 on average per session), we show there is a significant and increasing proportion (over 10%) of RS. While their re-enrollment seems influenced by changes in course content, they succeed in the same proportions or less than new students (NS). A more granular analysis, separating RS who had previously completed a track (Recurring Successful Students - RSS) from those who hadn’t (Recurring Unsuccessful Students - RUS), reveals that RUS complete the new session in the same proportion as NS, whereas RSS fail more. As a conclusion, we propose recommendations to address these students, which could be valuable for other multiple-session MOOCs.

1. Do MOOC students come back for more?
Recurring students in the GdP MOOC
François Bouchet
(UPMC/LIP6 – francois.bouchet@lip6.fr)
Rémi Bachelet
(Ecole Centrale de Lille – remi.bachelet@ec-lille.fr)
April 17th, 2015
Download this slideshow : http://goo.gl/ZQGh83

2. Video https://goo.gl/xrFhX0
2Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet

3. Paper/slides on
3Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet
@R_Bachelet
@fbouchet

4. Are recurring students the future of
MOOC enrollees?
4Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet
Time
ExperienceinMOOCs
ExperienceinthisMOOC
Recurring students?
Experienced students
Recurring students =
register the same MOOC
several times

5. Research questions
RQ1: Existence and frequency?
How to identify them?
RQ2: Specific behavior leading to research bias?
Implication in research questionnaires?
RQ3: Success - better or worse?
Impact on their performance
5Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet

6. Context: GdP MOOC
 Topic: project management
 First French MOOC issuing ECTS credits
 2 sessions / year since Spring 2013
 New content added every session
 2 individual tracks : basic and advanced
6Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet

7. Data: 4 sessions
7Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
GdP 1 GdP 2 GdP 3 GdP 4
%
Numberofstudents
Enrolled Entry rate Basic track success Advanced track success
Partially in this study

8. RQ1: How to identify Returning
Students(RS)? How many are they?
 2 sources:
▫ research questionnaire
▫ Platform (Canvas) student ID
 GdP3:
▫ source : ID => 8.4% RS from GdP2
▫ source : quest => 6.3% RS from GdP2 (40.5 % participation rate)
▫ 13.4% RS from GdP1&2 (source : quest.)
 GdP4:
▫ 13.6% RS (source : ID)
• 23% from GdP2
• 90% from GdP3
8Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet

9. RQ1: Validating the data?
 2 sources:
▫ Optional research questionnaire
▫ Canvas ID
 GdP3:
▫ 8.4% RS from GdP2 (ID)
▫ 6.3% RS from GdP2 (quest.)
▫ 13.4% RS from GdP1&2 (quest.)
 GdP4:
▫ 13.6% RS
• 23% from GdP2
• 90% from GdP3
9
ID: reliable
Questionnaire:
Possible mistakes
ID only:
Serial recurring
students
from GdP1?
Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet

10. 2 categories of recurring students
10Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet
Students
Recurring (RS)
10%
New (NS)
90%
Successful
(RSS) 1/3
Unsuccessful
(RUS) 2/3

11. RQ2: taking part in research
questionnaires? (1/2)
Propensity to answer:
▫ RS = NS in GdP3
▫ RS < NS in GdP4
▫ RUS > RSS in GdP3&4
11Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet
RS answer less overall, unsuccessful RS answer more than successful ones

12. RQ2: taking part in research
questionnaires? (2/2)
Time spent answering: No significant diff for
NS, RS, RSS
▫ Significant : RUS < NS
12Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet
Unsuccessful recurring students go faster through the questionnaires

13. RQ3: better grades? (1/2)
Number of points obtained:
▫ Basic track:
• RS < NS
• RSS < RUS
▫ Advanced track:
• RS < NS
• RSS > RUS
13Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet
Previously successful ones better on advanced track, less good on basic track

14. RQ3: better completion? (2/2)
Session completed (true | false):
▫ RS < NS
▫ RUS > RSS in GdP3
▫ RUS = RSS in GdP4
14Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet
RS complete less than NS
Previously unsuccessful complete more or as much

15. Results summary
 Recurring students (RS) exist (10%) and here to stay (↗ %)
 RS answer to research questionnaires less and faster
 RS complete less the sessions, different reasons:
▫ Previously successful (1/3) :
Go faster through basic content
Don’t want to complete again
▫ Previously unsuccessful (2/3) :
Motivated but struggling
15Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet
Stud.
RS 10%NS 90%
RSS 1/3RUS 2/3

16. Further study/conclusions
 Recurring students (RS) exist (10%) and here to stay (↗ %)
 to be confirmed in new sessions (additional content)
 RS answer to optional questionnaires less and faster
 retrieve previous answers and offer to update them?
 RS complete less the sessions, different reasons:
▫ Previously successful (1/3) :
Go faster through basic content
Don’t want to complete again
should be able to focus only on new content
“Carry over” of grades?
▫ Previously unsuccessful (2/3) :
Motivated but struggling
 provide additional support from the beginning
16Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet

17. Thank You !
17Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet

18. 18Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet

19. 19Recurring students in the GdP MOOC – F. Bouchet & R. Bachelet