Learn With Friends: The Effects of Student Face-to-Face Collaborations on Massive Open Online Course Activities

Abstract

This work investigates whether enrolling in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with friends or colleagues can improve a learner's performance and social interaction during the course. Our results suggest that signing up for a MOOC with peers correlates positively with the rate of course completion, level of achievement, and discussion forum usage. Further analysis seems to suggest that a learner's interaction with their friends compliments a MOOC by acting as a form of self-blended learning.