Open online learning for professional development. Integrating design and research perspectives

Egloffstein, Marc

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URN:	urn:nbn:de:bsz:180-madoc-691687
Document Type:	Doctoral dissertation
Year of publication:	2024
Place of publication:	Mannheim
University:	Universität Mannheim
Evaluator:	Ifenthaler, Dirk
Date of oral examination:	2024
Publication language:	English
Institution:	Business School > Wirtschaftspädagogik, Technologiebasiertes Instruktionsdesign (Ifenthaler 2015-)
License:	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Subject:	004 Computer science, internet 370 Education
Keywords (English):	online learning , MOOC , professional development , design oriented research
Abstract:	With the growing importance of digital education, this thesis aims to investigate open online learning for professional development with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The overarching research question, How can MOOCs for professional learning and development be advanced and meaningfully designed? is addressed with four empirical studies. MOOCs for professional learning and development were investigated with a focus on employee perspectives, instructional quality, learner participation and achievement, and patterns of learner behavior. The thesis consists of seven chapters and integrates four distinct research papers. The first chapter outlines the motivation for exploring open online learning for professional development from a design perspective. By integrating the concepts of learning at scale and open learning, it traces the trajectory of MOOCs from their early academic implementations to the current shift towards professional development. Additionally, the chapter lays out the research objectives, scope, research questions, and the overall structure of the thesis. Chapter 2 delves into the conceptual foundations of the thesis. It introduces defining aspects of MOOCs, their technological underpinnings, and design considerations. Furthermore, it explores MOOCs in professional learning and development, highlighting use cases and corporate implementations. The subsequent four chapters focus on the four research studies. Chapter 3 discusses employee perspectives on MOOCs for workplace learning, revealing motives and areas of interest. Chapter 4 examines the instructional quality of business MOOCs and identifies strengths and opportunities for improvement. Providing first insights into an emerging field, the fifth chapter analyzes participation and achievement in Enterprise MOOCs for professional learning. In order to derive evidence-informed design recommendations, Chapter 6 investigates course design approaches and behavioral patterns in MOOCs for professional learning. Chapter 7 discusses the findings of the four studies, along with implications and design recommendations within and beyond the current MOOC format. Following additional remarks on limitations, potential avenues for future research are outlined. These include an updated stakeholder perspective on open online learning, the development of feasible outcome measures, and contextualized design-oriented research. Additionally, a framework to integrate various research perspectives into instructional quality assessment was introduced. The thesis concludes with an outlook on the perspectives of open online learning for professional development between modularization and AI enrichment.