The MOOC Research Initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Athabasca University has announced the winners of its research grants. The open call resulted in 266 submissions, of which 28 have been funded. The funded topics include: “Mapping the Dynamics of Peer-to-Peer Interaction in MOOCS”, “Understanding MOOCs as a Pathway to Employment for Low-Income Populations”, and “MOOC instructional design principles: Ensuring quality across scale and diversity”. Successful grantees will be presenting at a conference the MOOC Research Initiative has organized at the University of Texas Arlington, December 5-6, 2013. More information about the conference is available here.
http://www.moocresearch.com/mooc-research-initiative-grants-awarded