Search Results

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can be considered a rather novel method in digital workplace learning, and there is as yet little empirical evidence on the acceptance and effectiveness of MOOCs in professional learning. In addition to existing findings on employers' attitudes, this study seeks to investigate the employee perspective towards MOOCs in professional contexts and to further explore the acceptance of MOOCs for workplace learning. In a survey study, N = 119 employees from a wide range of enterprises were questioned with regard to motivation, credentials, and incentives related to participation in MOOCs. Findings indicate a high importance of on-the-job and career development learning purposes as well as a general interest in MOOC topics. Credentials are deemed necessary, yet their acceptance among the relevant stakeholders is considered rather low. Implications for design and implementation of MOOCs in digital workplace learning and for further research are discussed.

Published abstract. Show less

The aim of this chapter is to explore the openness of massive open online courses (MOOCs) for professional development and to add empirical evidence to the current discussion. This leads to the following research questions: (1) What are current notions of openness in online education and training, and how do they relate to MOOCs with respect to professional development? (2) Which types of barriers do exist in MOOCs for training and professional development? (3) Are there systematic patterns of barriers, pointing towards specific strategies of openness employed by MOOC providers? The authors first discuss current notions of openness in online education and training and show possible links to generic MOOC models. They then review N=295 MOOCs from nine common English-speaking providers for barriers. Based on their empirical data, the authors set out to characterize different types of MOOCs from the perspective of openness.

Edited excerpts from publication.

The book from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 143.278. Show less