The Impact of Mobile Learning on Students' Self-Test Behavior in MOOCs

Students can use personal mobile devices to access Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in addition to desktop computers. However, user interfaces are often only scaled to smaller screen sizes and interaction patterns of a desktop learning experience do not always fit well with the characteristics of mobile devices. Adequate solutions for answering self-test questions on mobile devices often do not exist. In this paper, we explore the currently shown interaction patterns of MOOC learners when answering self-tests to make an informed decision about the requirements for the appropriate solution on mobile devices. The students' context was categorized into Desktop Web, Mobile Web, and Mobile Application. In an observational case study, the interaction events of two courses were analyzed regarding these device groups. Desktop Web is the most used environment. No practical differences between device groups were identified for subsequent attempts. Learners stick to a single device group and often only participate once in a self-test. Also, learners using mobile applications spend more time submitting self-tests.