A Classification of How MOOCs Are Used for Blended Learning

Abstract

There are many different examples of where MOOCs have been integrated into teaching and learning in a higher education context. These approaches are typically called blended MOOCs (bMOOCs) and are not intended to replace traditional learning methods but rather to enhance them. Despite increasing interest in bMOOCs there have been few attempts to date to describe with breadth the different ways in which they have been integrated with formal teaching and learning, this means that there are few guides for practitioners, and that it is difficult for the research community to compare different examples. This paper proposes a hierarchy classification of how blended MOOCs are used by presenting a systematic literature review leading to an analysis of 20 different case studies, which is then validated by an independent expert review. The resulting classification model differentiates between Supplementary and Integrated bMOOCs, where Integrated can itself be broken down into models that focus on Content, Assessment, or Interaction. Our work shows that there are at least eight different models for using bMOOCs within formal teaching and learning, although most of the existing research focuses on the Flipped Classroom model (a sub-type of the Content model). Our work therefore reveals gaps in the current understanding of bMOOCs, and will also help to contextualize and scope future research and analysis.