Doctoral defence: Marili Rõõm "Multiple approaches to learners’ success and factors affecting it in computer programming MOOCs"

On 19 September at 11:00, Marili Rõõm will defend her thesis "Multiple approaches to learners’ success and factors affecting it in computer programming MOOCs" to obtain the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Computer Science).

Supervisors: 
Professor Piret Luik, University of Tartu
Associate Professor Marina Lepp, University of Tartu

Opponents:
Professor Irene-Angelica Chounta, University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany)
Associate Professor Carlos Alario Hoyos, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain)

Summary
Advances in technology require people to acquire new skills, and one of the needed skills is programming. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are one possibility to start learning new skills, including programming. However, the problem is that most of the learners in MOOCs are not successful. Learners’ success can be defined in multiple ways. In this thesis, one definition was related to course completion and the second one with learners’ intentions related to the MOOC. The aim of this thesis was to determine which and how different factors affect learners’ success in computer programming MOOCs. Intention based success and factors affecting learners’ success are understudied area in the scientific literature. In this thesis, following factors were selected based on the expectancy-value motivation theory to study the influence on learners’ success: learners’ background characteristics and previous experience, motivation, engagement, use of time and MOOC activities, and performance. According to the results, the highest dropout rate was at the beginning of the MOOCs and towards the end before the project. Course completion was influenced by performance, use of time and course activities. The success based on intentions was affected by the learners’ education level, previous experience with the course topic and online learning, the usefulness of the certificate (motivation) and the use of additional materials in the reading materials (engagement). A model was created based on the results of this thesis and previous literature. It included two approaches to learners’ success and the factors influencing these. This research expands the literature on learner success, particularly success based on learner intentions. The results are useful for MOOC organisers to better understand course participants' behaviour and support needs and provide input to make MOOCs more cost-effective.