Designing MOOCs for success: a student motivation-oriented framework

Considerable literature exists regarding MOOCs. Evaluations of MOOCs range from ringing endorsements to its vilification as a delivery model. Much evaluation focuses on completion rates and/or participant satisfaction. Overall, MOOCs are ill-defined and researchers struggle with appropriate evaluation criteria beyond attrition rates. In this paper, we provide a brief history of MOOCs, a summary of some evaluation research, and we propose a new model for evaluation with an example from a previously-delivered MOOC. Measurement of the MOOC success framework through four student satisfaction types is proposed in this paper with a model for informal learning satisfaction, one of the proposed types, theorized and tested. Results indicated theoretical underpinnings, while intended to improve instruction, might not have influenced the same satisfaction construct. Therefore, future research into alternative satisfaction factor models is needed.