Learners in economically disadvantaged regions (EDR) "encounter numerous challenges when using MOOCs," according to this report. "Accessing content from MOOCs outside the classroom can be difficult due to inadequate infrastructure and network services." Also, learners "may also lack the required computing skills or may not be able to afford the computing devices (and) have poorer levels of proficiency in the English language compared to the more affluent area." So MOOCs are often blended with in-person learning, either asynchronously (for example, they are assigned parts of a MOOC outside classroom time) or in-class. This article studies the latter approach, called 'embedded MOOCs', using the Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction (ARCS) model, and concludes "embedded MOOCs approach could effectively stimulate students' learning motivations" while highlighting "the importance of social support and offline interactions with instructors and peer students in addition to the online learning materials." The study was well-designed but small, involving only 154 business students at a university in China, and therefore would benefit from replication elsewhere.
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