Motivation and Perceived Costs to Achievement in Advanced Engineering MOOCs: A Mixed Method Study of Advanced Engineering MOOC Learners' Motivation and Perceived Barriers

Given recent, rapid changes in engineering workplaces, massive open online courses, or MOOCs are a promising option for educating the workforce with new knowledge and skills. However, few take full advantage of these resources, in part because professional learners can have many constraints limiting their ability to fully participate. Our research uses an explanatory mixed-methods design to examine differences in learners' self-reported factors hindering their ability to succeed in a course, and their perceived outcomes of not finishing the course. We administered a pre-course survey in three advanced nanotechnology MOOCs to survey learners' motivation from an Expectancy-Value-Cost framework, resulting in 806 responses. Learners responded to the short version of the EVC scale, as well as two open-ended questions regarding barriers to engagement and perceived outcomes of failure in the course. Using the cost subscale, we grouped learners into the highest and lowest cost quartiles. In parallel, we developed codes and themes for the qualitative items via open coding and used themes to compare high-cost and low-cost learners on areas which affect their potential success and effects of failure. Both groups cited barriers of work, time, and personal commitments, with high-cost learners reporting these factors more often. They generally listed few consequences of not being successful, but an equal number of high-cost and low-cost learners wanted to retake the course if they failed. Professionals balance motivational costs from many areas when participating in courses, and advanced professional MOOCs must be accommodating if learners are to persist.