Here is an announcement from the Gamification MOOC that I am involved in from yesterday:

Written Assignment 2 Stats

Approximately 10,700 students successfully submitted Written Assignment 2. This compares to 12,800 submitting Written Assignment 1. Over 43,000 students have watched the lecture videos online, out of 77,000 registered students.

Those participation percentages are higher than for many other massively open online courses, all of which have a drop-off over time. And as noted in prior announcements, although the assessments were designed to enhance the learning experience, we recognize that a large number of students are participating in the course primarily or entirely by viewing the video lectures.

We are aware that some students experienced difficulties submitting Written Assignment 2. If you are in this situation, we urge you to post on the discussion forums and explain your problem in detail. Given the large number of students, Professor Werbach cannot commit to answering questions by email. We encourage you to read the course announcements and assignment pages carefully, and to submit assignments early if at all possible. We and Coursera staff will continue to do our best to address any problems we identify.

Mon 17 Sep 2012 11:51:00 AM PDT

What I See – Participation

Stats

• 43,000 out of 77,000 = appox 56% participation (based on total enrollment)
• 12,800 out of 77,000 = approx 17% participation (based on total enrollment)
• 10,700 out of 77,000 = approx 14% participation (based on total enrollment)
• 12,800 out of 43,000 = approx 30% participation (based on those engaged if watching the videos equals engagement)
• 10,700 out of 43,000 = approx 25% participation (based on those engaged if watching the videos equals engagement)

My Analysis of the Participation

I’m taking this course partly because I’m interested in gamification in courses and partly because of being interested in MOOC’s. I haven’t read the literature, but I’m assuming that the people from Coursera are more in touch with them, so I’ll assume that they are correct that these participation stats exceed a normal MOOC’s values.

At first glance, I would say that these values are low. I haven’t done an analysis on what happens in for-credit, paid courses online in general, but my guess is that they far exceed anything that we are seeing here. Is that a fair comparison or even one that should be made? Personally, I don’t see how we can or should compare the two since there is much more invested by students in a for-credit, paid online course than an open and free course like this.

Value of the MOOC

Does that mean that I don’t see value in MOOC’s or a place for them in education? Absolutely not!

As a participant in the course, I’m finding great value in the material and appreciate the mechanics of the course in promoting understanding of the topic. It’s nice to have an environment where you can choose your participation level. What I’m finding personally is that I’m engaging in the course because I’m finding the materials and activities beneficial. I have a chance to learn and engage in the content which is much better for me than just reading literature. I’m also getting quick and useful feedback on my understanding by completing the assignments. There is also an opportunity to engage with other learners in the discussion areas.

As such, I see the MOOC as a gateway to more formal educational experiences. It allows the learner to engage and learn according to their schedule and interest. I don’t think that we can think that this is answer to all online education, but it definitely will and should play a role in how we handle education for the future.