Measurement of the MOOC Phenomenon by Pre-Service Teachers: A Descriptive Case Study

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to establish the measurement of pre-service teachers on the MOOC phenomenon, one of the most important manifestations within the processes of on-line education that have emerged under the protection of the digital paradigm. The research methodology used was of an exploratory, qualitative, and descriptive nature. It falls within the generic scope of qualitative research methods of an ethnographic nature through the analysis of learning objects and interventions in the network. The sample (n = 218) was composed of students from the educational field, who took a subject focused on ICT applied to education, over several academic years. Using the edublog as a digital and documentary source, a total of 1962 frequencies were collected referring to the advantages (1052 frequencies) and limitations (910 frequencies) that they determined when carrying out these courses. As main results, it is worth mentioning that pre-service teachers consider MOOC courses valuable as teaching models in socio-educational contexts. They offer unquestionable advantages such as free of charge usage, training for disadvantaged groups, flexible hours, etc. However, their disadvantages are also important. For example, it is considered that these courses do not adequately follow up on the student, that the materials they offer are not very innovative, or also that the evaluation of the learning is inadequate. It is interesting to note that the main problems identified are of a pedagogical, not technical, nature.