ABSTRACT
This chapter explores 'success' and 'completion' in massive open online courses (MOOCs) from participants' perspectives. This research investigated MOOC participants' perspectives using an ethnographic approach – it should be noted that the researchers themselves are MOOC participants as well as MOOC facilitators. MOOCs are a relatively new sociotechnical innovation and their nature is still being established through a process of dialogue amongst participants and educators. These ideas should gradually converge, allowing a set of definitions that are agreed to by consensus. The method of semi-structured interviews, guided by a set of questions, was used in this study because they reveal the participants' views more fully and align with a social constructivist perspective. The chapter presents findings from a small sample that was not a random selection. Participants in the sample were highly educated and were from a research university in the United Kingdom. An investigation is to explore the views of success and completion in MOOCs among different stakeholder groups.
