Forum Posting Habits and Attainment in a Dual-Mode MOOC

Abstract

Discussion forums in massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a primary means of interaction among learners and instructors. Despite their widespread use there is concern that forums are not an effective means of promoting engagement and learning. This paper examines issues relating to forums through a brief literature review and by drawing on data from a specific MOOC run by the University of Warwick. Two parallel delivery modes allow comparison of forum participation. We analysed two users; those who contributed to forums and those who did not, using comparison of their final average grades in quizzes to analyse their performance rate. We classified super posters in our CfT forum as those who started a thread or more and at the same time contributed optionally in forum discussion posted by other participants. It was observed in our analyses that participants in the forum perform better within the top grades at the end of the course. However, results indicated that forum use overall is low and that tutor-moderation may close down participants' discussion, while peer-support forums fail to offer adequate support.