How do Gender, Learning Goals, and Forum Participation Predict Persistence in a Computer Science MOOC?

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)—in part, because of their free, flexible, and relatively anonymous nature—may provide a means for helping overcome the large gender gap in Computer Science (CS). This study examines why women and men chose to enroll in a CS MOOC and how this is related to successful behavior in the course by (a) using k-means clustering to explore the reasons why women and men enrolled in this MOOC and then (b) analyzing if these reasons are related to forum participation and, ultimately, persistence in the course. Findings suggest that women and men have different reasons for taking this CS MOOC, and they persist at different rates, an outcome that is moderated by forum participation.