On TuesÂday, we gave you a VisuÂalÂizaÂtion of the Big ProbÂlem for MOOCs, which comes down to this: low comÂpleÂtion rates. To be clear, the comÂpleÂtion rates aren’t so much a probÂlem for you; they’re more a probÂlem for the MOOC providers and their busiÂness modÂels. But let’s not get bogged down in that. We endÂed our post by askÂing you to share your own expeÂriÂence with MOOCs — parÂticÂuÂlarÂly, to tell us why you startÂed and stopped a MOOC. We got close to 50 thoughtÂful responsÂes. And below we’ve sumÂmaÂrized the 10 most comÂmonÂly-citÂed reaÂsons. Here they are:
1.) Takes Too Much Time: SomeÂtimes you enroll in a MOOC, only to disÂcovÂer that it takes way too much time. “Just didn’t have time to do all the work.” “As a full-time workÂing adult, I found it exceedÂingÂly difÂfiÂcult to watch hours upon hours of video lecÂtures.” That’s a refrain we heard again and again.
2.) Assumes Too Much KnowlÂedge: OthÂer times you enroll in a MOOC, only to find that it requires too much base knowlÂedge, like a knowlÂedge of advanced mathÂeÂmatÂics. That makes the course an instant non-starter. So you opt out. SimÂple as that.
3.) Too Basic, Not RealÂly at the LevÂel of StanÂford, Oxford and MIT: On the flip side, some say that their MOOCs weren’t realÂly operÂatÂing on a seriÂous uniÂverÂsiÂty levÂel. The courseÂwork was too easy, the workÂload and assignÂments weren’t high enough. A litÂerÂaÂture course felt more like a gloÂriÂfied book club. In short, the coursÂes weren’t the real uniÂverÂsiÂty deal.
4.) LecÂture Fatigue: MOOCs often rely on forÂmal video lecÂtures, which, for many of you, is an“obsolete and inefÂfiÂcient forÂmat.” And they’re just someÂtimes borÂing. MOOCs would be betÂter served if they relied more heavÂiÂly on interÂacÂtive forms of pedÂaÂgogy. Val put it well when she said, “We should not try to bring a brick and morÂtar lecÂture to your livÂing room. Use the resources availÂable and make the learnÂing engagÂing with shortÂer segÂments.… The goal should be to teach and teach betÂter. If one of these online uniÂverÂsiÂties can figÂure that out, then the monÂey will folÂlow.”
5.) Poor Course Design: You signed up for a MOOC and didÂn’t know how to get going. One stuÂdent relatÂed his expeÂriÂence: “From day one I had no idea what I was supÂposed to do. There were instrucÂtions all over the place. Groups to join with phanÂtom memÂbers that nevÂer comÂmentÂed or interÂactÂed, and a sylÂlabus that was being revised as the course went through it’s first week.”
6.) Clunky Community/Communication Tools: This has been the Achilles’ heel of online learnÂing for years, and so far the MOOCs haven’t quite figÂured it out. It’s not unusuÂal to hear this kind of comÂment from stuÂdents: “I find that the disÂcusÂsion forums aren’t very useÂful or engagÂing. They are not a very good subÂstiÂtute for active in-class disÂcusÂsion.”
7.) Bad Peer Review & Trolls: Because MOOCs are so big, you often don’t get feedÂback from the proÂfesÂsor. Instead you get it from algoÂrithms and peers. And someÂtimes the peers can be less than conÂstrucÂtive. One readÂer writes: “I chose to stop doing the peer response secÂtion of the class due to some stuÂdents being treatÂed rudeÂly [by othÂer stuÂdents]; in fact, the entire peer response secÂtion of the class is done in a way I would NEVER have asked of stuÂdents in a classÂroom.… [T]here is no involveÂment of the proÂfesÂsor or TA’s in monÂiÂtorÂing the TORRENT of comÂplaints about peer reviews.”
8.) SurÂprised by HidÂden Costs: SomeÂtimes you disÂcovÂer that free MOOCs aren’t exactÂly free. They have hidÂden costs. Brooke dropped her MOOC when she realÂized that the readÂings were from the proÂfesÂsor’s expenÂsive textÂbook.
9.) You’re Just ShopÂping Around: You shop for coursÂes, which involves regÂisÂterÂing for many coursÂes, keepÂing some, and dropÂping othÂers. That inflates the low comÂpleÂtion rate, but it gives you freeÂdom. As one readÂer said, “I am very, very hapÂpy about being able to be so picky.”
10.) You’re There to Learn, Not for the CreÂdenÂtial at the End: SomeÂtimes you do everyÂthing (watch the videos, do the readÂings, etc.) but take the final exam. In a cerÂtain way, you’re auditÂing, which suits many of you just fine. It’s preÂciseÂly what you want to do. But that, too, makes the low comÂpleÂtion rates look worse than they maybe are.
Thanks to everyÂone who took the time to parÂticÂiÂpate. We realÂly appreÂciÂate it! And if you’re lookÂing for a new MOOC, don’t miss our list, 300 Free MOOCs from Great UniÂverÂsiÂties (Many OfferÂing CerÂtifiÂcates).