Penn study shows MOOCs have relatively few active users, with only a few persisting to course end

Posted on November 30th, 2013

According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania, MOOCs “have relatively few active users, that user engagement falls off dramatically – especially after the first 1-2 weeks of a course – and that few users persist to the course end.” The study analyzed the movement of a million users through sixteen Coursera courses offered by Penn and aimed to identify “key transition points for users – such as when users enter and leave courses.” Additional findings included that completion rates were “somewhat higher, on average, for courses with lower workloads for students and fewer homework assignments.”

http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pressroom/press-releases/2013/12/penn-gse-study-shows-moocs-have-relatively-few-active-users-only-few-persisti