Qinhua Zheng

Basic Information of MOOCs in China

This chapter tries to probe into the basic situation of MOOCs from four aspects including introduction, construction, application, and management of the courses so as to reflect the current development of the courses on MOOC platforms. Development status of courses on the fourteen mainstream MOOC platforms is analyzed to dig out the basic characteristics of the organization of MOOCs and make predictions about the future of MOOCs.

The International Comparison and Trend Analysis of the Development of MOOCs in Higher Education

This chapter explores the potential impact of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on the international aspects of university development, claiming that the development and offering of MOOCs can affect not only universities’ educational offerings but also the way they plan their development within an increasingly globalized context. This chapter argues that MOOCs can contribute to enhancing universities’ international cooperation and propose six patterns of international cooperation among universities empowered by MOOCs.

Innovative and Revolutionary Potential of MOOCs

The phenomenal development of MOOCs in recent years has made an earthquake in the field of higher education globally. In essence, it is less a localized revolution that simply applies internet technologies into education, or “‘a discussion on teaching reformation and new teaching models’ happening within the superficial structures of universities,” than a systematic revolution in education driven by the dominant genes of the free, open internet, and an innovation of the organization/service mode of higher education by use of the recessive genes such as big data and organization process reengineering (Guo et al. 2013). The new model of online education, represented by MOOCs, is now demonstrating its power by breaking through the traditional educational system and models and has become an important driving force in reform and development of higher education internationally. To promote the educational reform by making use of the opportunities brought by MOOCs, it will be fundamental to get an accurate understanding of the innovative nature of MOOCs through analysis. MOOCs take different forms in practice. These different forms share similarities but also have many differences. In this chapter, based on the case studies of cMOOCs and xMOOCs, we will try to analyze the innovative nature of MOOCs and discuss their potential in revolutionizing higher education.

Emergence and Development of MOOCs

The e-learning has until quite recently been marked by considerable attention paid to MOOCs. One of the disruptive innovations introduced by MOOCs is the open access to the process of teaching and learning. The impact of MOOCs does not necessarily focus on teaching and learning, but is rather adopted in different manners to serve the needs of public and private sectors. A major development of MOOCs is taking place into a layer of higher education institutions, companies, and associations with bulk of sufficient funding for research and practice. Under MoE’s policy, a rapid development of MOOCs and the expansion of MOOC-related practices are underway. Variety of pedagogical reform in the field of MOOCs is undergoing experimentally or practically alongside the rapid growth of MOOCs in China. Even though the common issues are faced such as intellectual property right, business mode, quality assurance, credit certification, participation rate, and constant dropout rate, the outlook for MOOCs is promising as the Chinese government released policies in accelerating MOOCs development.

Conclusions of Construction and Development of MOOCs in China

On the whole, China has made remarkable achievements in construction of MOOCs, but it is also facing serious challenges. In the following parts, we are going to start from the perspective of the sustainable development of MOOCs to get a gist of the characteristics of and challenges faced in construction and development of MOOCs in China, in a bid to have a comprehensive interpretation about the MOOC practices in China.

Instructional Interaction of MOOCs in China

MOOCs’ interaction has the great impact on the quality of the courses. The purpose of this study is to analyze the interaction of MOOCs and to compare the differences in the interaction among different types of courses. In this study, we selected 622 accessible courses of 14 MOOC platform in China and discussed the student levels, teaching models, video types, learning support, and evaluation methods, etc., by comparing the number of posts, the time characteristics of the posts, and the interactive engagement of the teachers of different MOOCs. The study found that MOOCs interaction level was generally low and imbalance in China. Analysis showed that 20% of the courses produced about 90% of the interaction. Teaching model had a great impact on the level of interaction. The inquiry-based courses had the higher level of interaction. MOOCs with flipped-classroom model had better interaction level. Courses with Khan Academy style video had the higher level of interaction. Rich learning support and well-designed certification system were also important to achieve the higher level of interaction. Based on research results, we suggest that MOOCs construction and application in China need to explore the teaching model in depth, design the whole process of learning support, carry out the process-based evaluation, and establish a sound certification system.

Learning Support of MOOCs in China

MOOCs’ high dropout rate has been widely criticized. It is one of the measures to reduce the dropout rate by establishing a perfect learning support service system and enhancing the learning support service capacity. This study took 621 courses of 14 major MOOC platforms in China as the research object, investigated their learning support condition, and compared the types and quantity of learning support services (LSS) provided by different types of courses. The study found that, in general, China’s MOOCs supply very few types of LSS, and the overall level of support service was low. There are big differences in learning support among MOOCs with different teaching models. Inquiry-based courses designed better learning support than lecture-based courses. Flipped-classroom MOOCs used learning support more often. The learning support in MOOCs was more traditionally designed. Courses with well-designed certificate system had better learning support. According to the research results, we suggest that in order to advance the construction and application, MOOCs should enhance the learning support service capacity, promote the practical application of learning analytics, pay more attention to the timeliness and validity of teaching interaction, construct the inquiry learning environment, and promote flipped-classroom teaching model. With all these measures, the learning effects of MOOCs will be improved greatly.

Overview of Research on Chinese MOOCs

MOOCs have been in the spotlight since its debut in China in 2012. Later, MOOC platforms and relevant courses developed by different organizations sprung up like mushrooms. Now MOOCs can be seen in multiple forms in practice and have promoted the development of Chinese educational reform in different levels and to different degrees. The research team investigated MOOCs in China from three aspects, namely, MOOC platforms and courses, colleges and universities, and MOOCs learners (in cooperation with Guokr).

Construction of MOOC Platforms in China

MOOC platforms in China have achieved quite some scale in China with its development since 2012. Built either by universities or enterprises on their own, or by regional coalitions or school–enterprise partnerships, MOOC platforms have provided vast and extensive opportunities for learners with different learning needs. Now we have nearly a hundred MOOC platforms offering courses on engineering, science, literature, management, economics, so on and so forth, for a range of users of different ages in primary and secondary education, higher education, vocational education, and adult education, which have significantly promoted the development of online education, equal access to education, cooperation between universities and relevant work in educational research.

Learner Analysis of Chinese MOOCs

Learning is fundamentally an activity conducted by learners, so it is necessary to pay attention to Chinese learners of MOOCs in this study and to listen to their voice. What do we know about them? How are they learning online? How do they feel about online learning? These questions and the corresponding answers make an important basis for construction and development of Chinese MOOCs. This chapter, using the learner study done by mooc.guokr.com from 2013 to 2015, tries to analyze learners of MOOCs from eight dimensions, namely learners’ basic information, learning experience, learning preference, learning motives, participation in teaching–learning interaction, learning satisfaction, learning difficulties, and learning platforms and tool, and also made evaluations of their learning qualities.