Assessing the effect of Massive Open Online

Courses as remedial courses in higher education

Agasisti, Tommaso 1 ; Azzone, Giovanni 1 ; Soncin, Mara 1 1 School of Management, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy . Innovations in Education and Teaching International ; London  Vol. 59, Iss. 4,  (Aug
2022): 462-471.

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ABSTRACT (ENGLISH)
The current study assesses the effect of using Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) with the specific goal of
providing remedial education. The data refer to an Italian flagship university, Politecnico di Milano, where a MOOC
platform was launched following the strategy ‘MOOCs to bridge the gaps’. Hence, the study aims at assessing the
effect of students completing a MOOC taken as a foundation course in physics on their ability to pass the
subsequent on-campus exam in physics (N = 2,830). The research used Propensity Score Matching (PSM), basing
the propensity scores on personal and academic information about the students. The results show that
completers are 7 to 16 percentage points more likely to pass the related exam than the other students enrolled in
the same MOOCs. These findings support the idea that using MOOCs for remedial purposes is effective in terms of
student achievement within a formal education context.

DETAILS

Identifier / keyword: Higher education; online learning; MOOC; remedial education; propensity score
matching

Publication title: Innovations in Education and Teaching International; London

Volume: 59

Issue: 4

Pages: 462-471

Publication year: 2022

Publication date: Aug 2022

Publisher: Taylor &Francis Inc.

Place of publication: London

Country of publication: United States, London

Publication subject: Education--Teaching Methods And Curriculum

ISSN: 14703297

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 e-ISSN: 14703300

Source type: Scholarly Journal

Language of publication: English

Document type: Journal Article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2021.1886969

ProQuest document ID: 2702035144

Document URL: https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/assessing-effect-massive-open-

online-courses-as/docview/2702035144/se-2?accountid=188730

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Last updated: 2022-08-15

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