Exploring the engagement of working professionals in MOOCs : A qualitative study

Sammanfattning

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become an essential part of online learning as they offer flexible and accessible learning opportunities for the learners from diverse professional areas. This study evaluates how MOOCs influence the engagement of working professionals in online learning environments. The research analyses the factors which either supports or hinder the engagement of learners in MOOCs while managing their professional duties and personal obligations. A qualitative approach was used in this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews among 15 working professionals from diverse areas including information technology, banking, business, accounting and finance. The interviews were conducted online using Zoom platform which has a duration of 30-40 minutes. The data was analysed using thematic analysis based on the framework of Braun and Clarke (2006). The findings show that learner engagement is influenced by various factors such as flexibility and adaptability, professional relevance, social interaction, course design and usability, evaluation and feedback, time constraints and emotional and cognitive experiences. Participants highlighted the importance of online learning which they can balance their work and learning responsibilities. However, lack of personalised feedback, cognitive overload and poor interaction will adversely affect the engagement of learners in online courses. The study also supports the Self-Determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) which shows the relevance of autonomy, competence and relatedness in maintaining learner engagement and motivation in MOOCs. The findings give a clear picture of how MOOCs can be designed to help the working professionals in order to improve their engagement in online learning environments.