The last edition of eLearning Papers is a special edition on “Experiences and best practices in and around MOOCs”. This special issue is based on the contributions made to the EMOOCS 2014 conference which attracted more than 450 participants. This issue includes some interesting research into the MOOC phenomena. An UNED study proposes a quality model based on both course structure and certification process. Most of the debate around the future of MOOCs focuses on learners’ attitudes such as attrition or a lack of satisfaction that leads to disengagement or dropout. A Stanford study shows how educational interventions targeting such risk factors can help reduce dropout rates, as long as the dropouts are predicted early and accurately enough. A French researcher shows that learners who interact on the forums and assess peer assignments are more likely to complete the course. Another Stanford study tested different approaches to measure the extent to which online learners experience a sense of community in current implementations of online courses. In a similar context, a German team of researchers studied the collaborative endeavour of planning and implementing a cMOOC. The issue also includes an article on Cultural Translation in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) by the University of Leicester, who is also partner in EMMA.
http://openeducationeuropa.eu/en/paper/experiences-and-best-practices-and-around-moocs