Self-directed informal learning in FutureLearn MOOCs:

methods & main findingsInge de Waard, Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Mike Sharples

FutureLearn start

• Known: online learning, enrolled students, adult learners• Unknown: actual FutureLearn experienceDifferent Learning: from formal to informal, from mandatory to voluntary

Exploring: avoiding assumptions

• Quantitative research: premise, hypothesis• Questions risk guided by premise. Premise wrong, results wrong

• Qualitative research: exploration => avoid assumptions• Memo-writing, data analysis iteration, conscious interpretation

FL-learning experience: data collection

Expectations(pre-course)

Experiences(self-reported Learning logs)

Reflections(one-on-one interviews)

Morse, J. M., Stern, P. N., Corbin, J., Bowers, B., Clarke, A. E., & Charmaz, K. (2009). Developing grounded theory: The second generation (developing qualitative inquiry), p. 17.

Glaser & StraussDiscovery (1967)

Glaser (1987) Theoretical Sensitivity

Glaser (1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005,

2006)

Glaserian GT Stern (1995)

Charmaz (2000, 2006, [2014])

Constructivist GT

Strauss (1987)Qualitative analysis

Straussian GT

Strauss

Glaser

Clark (2003, 2005, 2008) Situational analysis

Strauss & Corbin (1990, 1998)

Corbin & Strauss (2008)

Schatzman (1991)Dimensional

analysis

Bower (1987)Caron & Bower (2000)

Bower & Schatzman (2009)

Selecting target population

• Methodologic rigour: qualitative GT sample at least 12 learners (52 learners)• Adult learners => experienced adult learners (avoid novelty remarks)• At least 3 years of online learning experience

Selecting courses

Science of Medicines: diabetes, heart,

depression (Monash Uni, Australia)

Decision Making in a Complex and

Uncertain World: economy and networks (Uni

Groningen, Netherlands)

Basic Science: Understanding

Experiments (OU, United Kingdom)

Different courses to obtain cross-course findings

Data collection

• Pre: online survey: background information & selection• During: self-reported learning logs: 2 per ‘learning week’• Post: one-on-one structured interviews

Investigating What comprises the informal learning journey of experienced, adult online learners engaging in individual and/or social self-directed learning using any device to follow a FutureLearn MOOC?• Which individual characteristics influence the learning experience?• What are the technical and media elements influencing the learning

experience? • How does individual and social learning affect the participants’

learning? • Which actions (if any) did the learners undertake to organise their

learning?

Data analysis

• Open coding, line-by-line coding (verify categories), focused coding => theoretically saturate core concepts• Memo writing: own assumptions, possible relations

Emerging data (DeDoose)

Memo’s making sense

Self-directed Informal Learning experience: 5 components, 2 key inhibitors/enablers

Intrinsic Motivation &

Personal Learning

Goals

Individual Characteristics

(motivation)

Technical & Media

elements

Individual & Social learning

Context (people & content)

Organising Learning (learning

goals)

Individual characteristics

• Motivation: choosing a course, personal and/or professional reasons for completing learning episode (any length), edutainment• Personal traits influencing the learning process: perseverance, self-

confidence, emotional language describing learning

Technical & media elements affecting learning

• Devices used for learning• FutureLearn course & media elements • Learning new tools provided in FL-course

Individual & Social learning

• Individual learning actions• Social learning: connecting and sharing: looking for answers (help-seeking) versus experience

sharing, differences per course• Different social learning actions per course: choosing who to interact with, reflective actions,

cohort learning, language

Organising learning

• Personal goal setting: range of personal learning goals, selecting content, curated content benefit, building on personal learning actions• Planning: available time, time investment in social learning, keeping notes• Taking notes

Context

• Contextualizing content• Proximity to context as motivator• Peers and context

Future researchPersonalised learning

• Impact of generic assignments, enabling learners to fit the assignment to their contexts (contextualize pedagogical approach)

• Impact of enabling to set & realise personal learning goals (platform development)• Patterns of engagement while considering motivation and learning goals.• SRL outside professional FutureLearn MOOCs, including all SRL sub-processses • Neurobiological research: measuring brain activity in learners that are engaged in

FutureLearn courses (find trigger points for increased motivation and learning goals – interdisciplinary research).

Gratitude for ongoing wisdom & guidance

My two inspiring supervisors • Mike Sharples• Agnes Kukulska-Hulme

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