Abstract
A growing number of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provide participants with the opportunity to learn about and for sustainability. MOOCs include features that resemble social media in that they allow participants to share their passions and interests with others across the globe through discussion forum threads that include “like” and “dislike” options. Like other social media, MOOCs also transcend barriers such as time and location. Because of their educational mission, MOOCs have particular potenzial to support learning that contributes to achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). Yet, there has been little research on the learning outcomes of MOOCs, including ones focused on sustainability. To address this gap, we conducted an exploratory case study to examine the extent to which a MOOC entitled Act on Climate (AoC) led to cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes to support SDG 13: Climate Action. Over 2,008 discussion forum responses from 3,056 learners were analyzed for indicators of gains in knowledge about climate change actions and associated skills (cognitive learning), attitudinal shifts toward engaging in climate change actions (affective learning), and the enactments of mitigation and adaptation behaviors (behavioral learning) linked to the course. Content analysis results provide evidence of increases in knowledge and newly adopted behaviors, followed by shifts in attitudes and gains in action skills associated with participating in AoC. This case study provides evidence that MOOCs can support the type of social learning needed to achieve SDGs. Recommendations are offered for advancing the potenzial of MOOCs to support learning and for needed scholarship.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Learners are provided with a template that they sign and electronically distribute on their private social media accounts.
- 2.
It is impossible to assess how many individual learners contributed these posts. It could be as high as 3,056 unique learners given that this is the number that enrolled and as low as 153 learners who had completed the course during that time period. Coursera does not provide a summary count of learners who contribute to discussion forums.
- 3.
Unfortunately, only these few individuals have taken the time to complete the course evaluations.
References
Arbuthnott, K. D. (2012). Sustainable consumption: attitudes, actions, and well-being. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 12(1), 204–208.
Behrmann, E. M., Gajjala, R., Losh, E., Cowan, T. L., Boyer, P., Rault, J., … & Cole, C. L. (2015). Feminist alternatives to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): The inception of the distributed open collaborative course (DOCC). In MOOCs and open education around the world (pp. 190–201). Taylor and Francis Inc..
Brinton, C. G., Chiang, M., Jain, S., Lam, H., Liu, Z., & Wong, F. M. F. (2014). Learning about social learning in MOOCs: From statistical analysis to generative model. IEEE transactions on Learning Technologies, 7(4), 346–359.
Brundiers, K., & Wiek, A. (2013). Do we teach what we preach? An international comparison of problem-and project-based learning courses in sustainability. Sustainability, 5(4), 1725–1746.
Carson, L., & Hartz-Karp, J. (2005). Adapting and combining deliberative designs: Juries, polls, and forums. In J. Gastil & P. Levine (Eds.), The deliberative democracy handbook: strategies for effective civic engagement in the twenty-first century(pp. 120–138): Jossey-Bass.
Chen, Y., Gao, Q., Yuan, Q., & Tang, Y. (2019). Discovering MOOC learner motivation and its moderating role. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1–19.
Coelho, J., Teixeira, A., Nicolau, P. B., Caeiro, S., & Rocio, V. (2015). iMOOC on climate change: Evaluation of a massive open online learning pilot experience. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(6), 152–173.
Deng, R., Benckendorff, P., & Gannaway, D. (2020). Linking learner factors, teaching context, and engagement patterns with MOOC learning outcomes. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.
deWaard, I., Koutropoulos, A., Keskin, N., Abajian, S. C., Hogue, R., Rodriguez, C. O., & Gallagher, M. S. (2011, October). Exploring the MOOC format as a pedagogical approach for mLearning. In Proceedings of 10th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning (pp. 138–145).
Diver, P., Martinez, I., 2015. MOOCs as a massive research laboratory: opportunities and challenges. Dist. Educ. 36, 1e21.
Douglas, K. A., Merzdorf, H. E., Hicks, N. M., Sarfraz, M. I., & Bermel, P. (2020). Challenges to assessing motivation in MOOC learners: An application of an argument-based approach. Computers & Education, 150, 103829.
Duffy, T. M., & Kirkley, J. R. (Eds.). (2003). Learner-centered theory and practice in distance education: Cases from higher education. Routledge.
Ferguson, R., & Clow, D. (2015). Consistent Commitment: Patterns of Engagement across Time in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Journal of Learning Analytics, 2(3), 55–80.
Healey, M., Flint, A., & Harrington, K. (2016). Students as partners: Reflections on a conceptual model. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 4(2), 1–13.
Hirsch, J., Van Deusen Phillips, S., Labenski, E., Dunford, C., & Peters, T. (2011). Linking climate action to local knowledge and practice: A case study of diverse Chicago neighborhoods. In H. Kopnina & E. Shoreman-Ouimet (Eds.), Environmental anthropology today (pp. 267–296). New York: Routledge.
Hudson, Lorraine, Annika Wolff, Daniel Gooch, Janet Van Der Linden, Gerd Kortuem, Marian Petre, Rianne ten Veen, and Sinead O’Connor-Gotra. “Supporting urban change: Using a MOOC to facilitate attitudinal learning and participation in smart cities.” Computers & Education 129 (2019): 37–47.
Hung, C. Y., Sun, J. C. Y., & Liu, J. Y. (2019). Effects of flipped classrooms integrated with MOOCs and game-based learning on the learning motivation and outcomes of students from different backgrounds. Interactive Learning Environments, 27(8), 1028–1046.
Kim, W., Watson, S. L., & Watson, W. R. (2016). Perceived learning in three MOOCs targeting attitudinal change. Educational Media International, 53(3), 168–183.
Kizilcec, R. F., Piech, C., & Schneider, E. (2013, April). Deconstructing disengagement: analyzing learner subpopulations in massive open online courses. In Proceedings of the third international conference on learning analytics and knowledge (pp. 170–179).
Mercer-Mapstone, L., Dvorakova, S. L., Matthews, K. E., Abbot, S., Cheng, B., Felten, P., … & Swaim, K. (2017). A systematic literature review of students as partners in higher education. International Journal for Students as Partners, 1(1).
Merton, R. K., & Merton, R. C. (1968). Social theory and social structure. Simon and Schuster.
Moura, V. F., Souza, C. A., Neto, J. D. O., & Viana, A. B. (2017, September). MOOCS’ Potential for Democratizing Education: An Analysis from the Perspective of Access to Technology. In European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern Conference on Information Systems (pp. 139–153). Springer, Cham.
Moust, J. H., Berkel, H. V., & Schmidt, H. G. (2005). Signs of erosion: Reflections on three decades of problem-based learning at Maastricht University. Higher education, 50(4), 665–683.
Osbaldiston, R., & Schott, J. P. (2012). Environmental sustainability and behavioral science: Meta-analysis of proenvironmental behavior experiments. Environment and Behavior, 44(2), 257–299.
Otto, D., Bollmann, A., Becker, S., & Sander, K. (2018). It’s the learning, stupid! Discussing the role of learning outcomes in MOOCs. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 33(3), 203–220.
Otto, D., Caeiro, S., Nicolau, P., Disterheft, A., Teixeira, A., Becker, S., … & Sander, K. (2019). Can MOOCs empower people to critically think about climate change? A learning outcome based comparison of two MOOCs. Journal of Cleaner Production, 222, 12–21.
Pereira, A., Mendes, A. Q., Morgado, L., Amante, L., & Bidarra, J. (2008). Universidade Aberta’s pedagogical model for distance education: A university for the future.
Rieckmann, M. (2012). Future-oriented higher education: Which key competencies should be fostered through university teaching and learning?. Futures, 44(2), 127–135.
Rogers, E. M. (2010). Diffusion of innovations. Simon and Schuster.
Schmid, L., Manturuk, K., Simpkins, I., Goldwasser, M., & Whitfield, K. E. (2015). Fulfilling the promise: do MOOCs reach the educationally underserved?. Educational Media International, 52(2), 116–128.
Shephard, K. (2008). Higher education for sustainability: seeking affective learning outcomes. International journal of sustainability in Higher Education.
Semenova, T. (2020). The role of learners’ motivation in MOOC completion. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 1–15.
Sipos, Y., Battisti, B., & Grimm, K. (2008). Achieving transformative sustainability learning: engaging head, hands and heart. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Sunar, A. S., Abbasi, R. A., Davis, H. C., White, S., & Aljohani, N. R. (2020). Modelling MOOC learners’ social behaviours. Computers in Human Behavior, 107, 105835.
Svanström, M., Lozano-García, F. J., & Rowe, D. (2008). Learning outcomes for sustainable development in higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Watson, W. R., Kim, W., & Watson, S. L. (2016). Learning outcomes of a MOOC designed for attitudinal change: A case study of an Animal Behavior and Welfare MOOC. Computers & Education, 96, 83–93.
Wiek, A., Withycombe, L., & Redman, C. L. (2011). Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development. Sustainability science, 6(2), 203–218.
Yang, D., Sinha, T., Adamson, D., & Rosé, C. P. (2013, December). Turn on, tune in, drop out: Anticipating student dropouts in massive open online courses. In Proceedings of the 2013 NIPS Data-driven education workshop (Vol. 11, p. 14).
Yang, H. H., & Su, C. H. (2017). Learner behaviour in a MOOC practice-oriented course: in empirical study integrating TAM and TPB. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning: IRRODL, 18(5), 35–63.
Yu, J. H., & Watson, S. L. (2020). Identifying subtypes of attitudinal learning among MOOCs learners: a latent profile analysis. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 1–20.
Yuan, L., & Powell, S. (2013). MOOCs and open education: Implications for Higher Education: A white paper. JISC CETIS Retrieved from http://publications.cetis.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/MOOCs-and-Open-Education.pdf.
Zheng, S., Han, K., Rosson, M. B., & Carroll, J. M. (2016, April). The role of social media in MOOCs: How to use social media to enhance student retention. In Proceedings of the Third (2016) ACM Conference on Learning@ Scale (pp. 419–428).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zint, M., Porter, P., Michel, J.O. (2022). Education for Sustainability through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). In: Bush, A., Birke, J. (eds) Nachhaltigkeit und Social Media. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-35660-6_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-35660-6_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer VS, Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-658-35659-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-658-35660-6
eBook Packages: Social Science and Law (German Language)