Jonatan Castaño-Muñoz

Who is taking MOOCs for teachers’ professional development on the use of ICT? A cross-sectional study from Spain

ABSTRACT Research on the use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for teacher professional development (TPD) and the characteristics of their participants is scarce. This article presents a case of a MOOC initiative supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education aiming at teachers’ professional development on the use of ICT for teaching and learning. The analysis is focused on (a) the sociodemographic and school characteristics of the teachers participating in MOOCs; (b) their experience and beliefs about lifelong learning; and (c) the relevance of MOOCs for their work. By contrasting the characteristics of the participants in this initiative with the characteristics of the whole population of teachers in Spain, and a sample of Spanish participants in MOOCs not aimed at TPD, the article sheds light on the specificities of the teachers who use this way of TPD. The results have implications for the design of programmes aimed to develop MOOCs for TPD.

Implementation Intentions and How They Influence Goal Achievement in MOOCs

Implementation intentions have been proven to be effective to help individuals reaching their goals in medical interventions. The current study investigated whether this is true as well for individuals who enrolled in MOOCs. Implementation intentions are concerned with planning where, when, and how learning will take place as well as planning how much time will be allocated to the learning and determining how potential problems will be resolved (referred to as shielding behavior). The current study investigated the relationship between the degree to which implementation intentions were formed and the degree to which goals were achieved, thereby taking the time spent for studying MOOCs and the number of barriers encountered into account. Goal achievement was taken relative to the intended goal achievement (more than intended, all as intended, less than intended).

A Value Model for MOOCs

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are changing the educational field, challenging traditional institutional strategies and recognition schemes and opening up new opportunities for learners and educators both from within and outside formal education. However, while the potential benefits and risks of the MOOCs have been discussed by scientists and policy makers, the corresponding empirical data is scarce. What’s more, the evidence that is available is usually restricted to a single course or single provider.