Response to critique questions

Q: You said the author should move from qualitative to quantitative measures. How do you anticipate studying motivation in a quantitative way?

A: I recommended the author to conduct the research in a more quantitative way and collected data by using scales, such as Likert scales. The author can create 1 to 5 or 1 to 7 scales and ask learners to measure their motivation (and other challenges) on the scale (1 being not motivated at all, the highest number being very strongly motivated), instead of just asking their subjective opinions. The scales enable statements of opinion to be directly translated into numerical data.

Q: What did the author find through qualitative insights?

A: Author carried rich and deep conversations with the learners. During that process; author got to know what are learners’ frustrations and challenges in their Mooc learning experience.  Since learners were being interviewed face to face with the researchers, it was easier for them to express their personal feelings, which may provide extra info that is more than researcher’s expected. This kind of interview is good for the beginning stage of the research, which help researchers  find the common and major challenges to the learners.

Q: How can we as designers address this “intrinsic motives/motivation” issue? I feel it would be a very subjective topic to discuss and address – there might be a need to be more objective in order to have a more valid study.

A: Learners lacking of self-motivation may be the biggest challenges in their Mooc learning. So when instructors design the course, they may need to consider from the following angles:

-       Design engaged class activities, which attract students’ attention and raise their interests and curiosities. This kind of activities can head them engage more deeply in the course and they may find more value that they have overlooked.

-       Setting a clear goal of the course (and each class and activity), if the students know explicitly about what they can get out from the course/activity and what they are working towards, they may have reasons to stick with the course.

-       Show relevance to students academic and professional lives. If the course address and emphasize on how the course content can help students with their academic achievement and their career development and use more real-life examples and applications, the learners would appreciate more about the course and sustain their motivation.