Research Trends in Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Theses and Dissertations: Surfing the Tsunami Wave

Autor/inn/en	Bozkurt, Aras; Keskin, Nilgun Ozdamar; de Waard, Inge
Titel	Research Trends in Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Theses and Dissertations: Surfing the Tsunami Wave
Quelle	In: Open Praxis, 8 (2016) 3, S.203-221 (19 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2304-070X
Schlagwörter	Online Courses; Large Group Instruction; Educational Research; Trend Analysis; Content Analysis; Masters Theses; Doctoral Dissertations; Graduate Students; Intellectual Disciplines; Engineering; Computer Science; Information Technology; Qualitative Research; Case Studies; Distance Education; State of the Art Reviews; Research Methodology; Models; Educational Trends; Statistical Analysis + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Online course; Online-Kurs; Bildungsforschung; Pädagogische Forschung; Trendanalyse; Inhaltsanalyse; Doctoral dissertation; Doctoral thesis; Doctoral theses; Dissertationsschrift; Graduate Study; Student; Students; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studentin; Geisteswissenschaften; Maschinenbau; Informatik; Informationstechnologie; Qualitative Forschung; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht; Entwicklungsstand; Research method; Forschungsmethode; Analogiemodell; Bildungsentwicklung; Statistische Analyse
Abstract	Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have attracted a great deal of attention by higher education and private enterprises. MOOCs have evolved considerably since their emergence in 2008, all the while given rise to academic discussions on MOOC impact, design and reach. In an effort to understand MOOCs more comprehensively, this study analyzes theses and dissertations (N = 51) related to MOOCs and published between 2008 and 2015, identifying research trends from these academic documents. Theses and dissertations within this research scope were gathered through a comprehensive search in multiple academic databases. For the purposes of the study, the research employed a systematic review approach. In order to reveal trends in research themes, emphasize theoretical/conceptual backgrounds, research designs and models, first a document analysis was used to collect data and this was followed by a content analysis. Our research findings indicate that MOOC research is generally derived from education, engineering and computer science, as well as information and communication technology related disciplines. Qualitative methodology linked to a case study research model is most common, and the theoretical/conceptual backgrounds are usually distance education related. Remarkably, nearly half of the studies didn't benefit from any theoretical or conceptual perspectives. In sum, this study presents an evaluation regarding research trends derived from MOOC theses and dissertations, and provides directions for future MOOC research. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	International Council for Open and Distance Education. Lilleakerveien 23, 0283 Oslo, Norway. Tel: +47-22-06-26-30; Fax: +47-22-06-26-31; e-mail: icde@icde.org; Web site: http://www.openpraxis.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01