Supporting professional learning in a massive open online course release_rbuffjdgxvh2ld4d2rjzjbln5i

by Colin Milligan, Allison Littlejohn

Published in International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning by Athabasca University Press.

2014   Volume 15

Abstract

Professional learning, combining formal and on the job learning, is important for the development and maintenance of expertise in the modern workplace. To integrate formal and informal learning, professionals have to have good self-regulatory ability. Formal learning opportunities are opening up through massive open online courses (MOOCs), providing free and flexible access to formal education for millions of learners worldwide. MOOCs present a potentially useful mechanism for supporting and enabling professional learning, allowing opportunities to link formal and informal learning. However, there is limited understanding of their effectiveness as professional learning environments. Using self-regulated learning as a theoretical base, this study investigated the learning behaviours of health professionals within Fundamentals of Clinical Trials, a MOOC offered by edX. Thirty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed to explore how the design of this MOOC supported professional learning to occur. The study highlights a mismatch between learning intentions and learning behaviour of professional learners in this course. While the learners are motivated to participate by specific role challenges, their learning effort is ultimately focused on completing course tasks and assignments. The study found little evidence of professional learners routinely relating the course content to their job role or work tasks, and little impact of the course on practice. This study adds to the overall understanding of learning in MOOCs and provides additional empirical data to a nascent research field. The findings provide an insight into how professional learning could be integrated with formal, online learning.  
In application/xml+jats format

Archived Files and Locations

application/pdf  366.1 kB
file_vwahi7qoizhrzj5dabz4jwu2rm
www.erudit.org (web)
web.archive.org (webarchive)
application/pdf  227.9 kB
file_7h4qripn5zewlnntdhu5l37lbi
files.eric.ed.gov (web)
web.archive.org (webarchive)
application/pdf  366.1 kB
file_imfy4fcwzvetfcs5n7mp5xucmu
www.erudit.org (web)
web.archive.org (webarchive)
application/pdf  227.9 kB
file_ezdwpnp6k5fvne5lij4bplmqoe
web.archive.org (webarchive)
www.irrodl.org (web)

Web Captures

http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/download/1855/3071?inline=1
2022-02-09 19:06:08 | 4 resources
webcapture_hku3iecyireyvef5n5nb7aul2e
web.archive.org (webarchive)
Read Archived PDF
Preserved and Accessible
Type  article-journal
Stage   published
Date   2014-10-03
Container Metadata
Open Access Publication
In DOAJ
In ISSN ROAD
In Keepers Registry
ISSN-L:  1492-3831
Work Entity
access all versions, variants, and formats of this works (eg, pre-prints)
Catalog Record
Revision: 29d92180-620a-438a-8ed6-bf2b7a856f34
API URL: JSON