Teaching Meets Technology In Developing A Mooc

This study describes the first steps to designing and evaluating a MOOC on Hybrid Photovoltaic Thermal Systems (HVTS), an emerging topic in Re-newable Energy Education. We piloted the MOOC using a small group of 15 learners and developed a Learning Analytics Dashboard (LAD) specifi-cally to analyze Learner Engagement, Performance and Difficulty. The pilot led to a high Completion Rate of 73.3% Compared to the average Comple-tion Rate of other MOOCs, this represents a substantial increase in Comple-tion Rates, however, there was a high degree of Variation in the Module Success Rates across the different modules. In terms of Sequencing Tasks, there was a high challenge level, with only 35.7% of Learners achieving Successful Completion, as opposed to True/False Quizzes with 79.7% of Learners achieving Successful Completion. The data from the LAD revealed some important Design Behavior Mismatches, Persisting Patterns, and Common Error Questions that will assist in making improvements such as providing Learners with more feedback on complex tasks, and aligning Content and Assessment more closely. Overall, this study demonstrates that the use of Learning Analytics, even on a Small Scale, has the potential to inform instructional design of Technical MOOCs.