Learning Design Preferences in LMOOCs

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have come to stay supported by the development of educational technologies, and within them Language MOOCs (LMOOCs) are a phenomenon that has risen expectations but also shown their limitations. This study aims at comparing students’ preferences from two universities (UCO, Spain, and ULS, Poland) regarding the learning design preferences of LMOOCs and analyze whether there are differences based on sociocultural context, gender and educational stage. The respondents (n = 260) stated to be in favor of a balance between the constructivist and instructionist educational practices in online language courses. The findings reveal significant differences regarding LMOOCs learning and feedback design in terms of gender and sociocultural context, while no significant differences were found between undergraduate and postgraduate students. These results may be used to plan innovative and effective learning situations that suit learners’ needs and preferences, which should lead to higher quality of learning, and higher learner engagement and satisfaction.