Massive Open Online Courses: Incentives for Enrolment and Main Factors Affecting Successful Completion

Massive, open, online courses (MOOCs) have become very popular worldwide, as they provide the opportunity for flexible learning from which professional and personal benefits can arise for the participants. The present study aims to investigate the motives for participation and the factors that favour or inhibit the completion of the courses. A survey study was conducted involving 145 respondents enrolled in a Greek MOOC platform, ‘Mathesis’. Data were collected through an electronic questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive and inductive statistical analysis. The results showed that the participant’s desire to learn a subject with personal meaning and his/her enthusiasm for this learning subject are the main drivers for participating in a MOOC. Factors that enhance the completion of the course are the instructor, the design and organization of the course, the educational institution that implements the course, and the stimuli to think and learn. Factors that lead to dropping out from the course are the lack of time, the duration of the course, and the lack of communication with the instructor. Therefore, it is recommended that designers and organizers of MOOCs consider the challenges faced by students in relation to their limited and/or fragmented time and their desire for courses without very tight schedules.