Study on MOOC for Social Learning

Abstract

In the face of a connected society, where social exchanges take on a dimension through the internet, this research deals with the study on learning in the Massive Open On-line Course (MOOC), specifically on social exchanges, which represent the network interactions. The aim tries to identify the exchanges that emerge between the connections of the students through the written communication in the forums. In order to do so, we analyzed students' posts in the discussion spaces of the MOOC - Learning to Learn, from California University in San Diego. The methodology is configured as a qualitative research, which had as a scenario for data collection approximately 4,000 students enrolled. Social network analysis (ARS) and data mining were performed. The course lasted 4 weeks, followed for four consecutive months. This allowed us to discover the social role and the role assumed by the students. The result of this research allows to believe that the connected society the MOOC is more a proposal of sharing of content and consultation of study material. However, regarding the promotion of social exchanges there is evidence of the need and presence of pedagogical mediation. Education - still based on a traditional paradigm - needs to discover methodological possibilities arising from distance learning, online and hybrid. The challenge is to design spaces of learning that enable pedagogical mediation between subject and object of knowledge