Studying Learner Behavior in Online Courses With Free-Certificate Coupons: Results From Two Case Studies

The relationship between pricing and learning behavior is an important topic in research on massive open online courses (MOOCs). We report on two case studies where cohorts of learners were offered coupons for free certificates to explore how price reductions might influence behavior in MOOC-based o...

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Autores principales:	Joshua Littenberg-Tobias, José A. Ruipérez-Valiente, Justin Reich
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Athabasca University Press 2020
Materias:	massive open online courses online learning price elasticity distance learning free coupons learning analytics Special aspects of education LC8-6691
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/7b26f0c94bb74809a8785ebaed4d843c
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:7b26f0c94bb74809a8785ebaed4d843c2021-12-02T19:20:52ZStudying Learner Behavior in Online Courses With Free-Certificate Coupons: Results From Two Case Studies10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.45641492-3831https://doaj.org/article/7b26f0c94bb74809a8785ebaed4d843c2020-01-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/4564https://doaj.org/toc/1492-3831The relationship between pricing and learning behavior is an important topic in research on massive open online courses (MOOCs). We report on two case studies where cohorts of learners were offered coupons for free certificates to explore how price reductions might influence behavior in MOOC-based online learning settings. In Case Study 1, we compare participation and certification rates between courses with and without free-certificate coupons. In the courses with a free-certificate track, participants signed up for the verified-certificate track at higher rates, and completion rates among verified students were higher than in the paid-certificate track courses. In Case Study 2, we compare learner behavior within the same courses by whether they received access to a free-certificate track. Access to free certificates was associated with lower certification rates, but overall, certification rates remained high, particularly among those who viewed the courses. These findings suggest that some incentives, other than simply the cost of paying for a verified-certificate track, may motivate learners to complete MOOCs. Joshua Littenberg-TobiasJosé A. Ruipérez-ValienteJustin ReichAthabasca University Pressarticlemassive open online coursesonline learningprice elasticitydistance learningfree couponslearning analyticsSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691ENInternational Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, Vol 21, Iss 1 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	massive open online courses online learning price elasticity distance learning free coupons learning analytics Special aspects of education LC8-6691
spellingShingle	massive open online courses online learning price elasticity distance learning free coupons learning analytics Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Joshua Littenberg-Tobias José A. Ruipérez-Valiente Justin Reich Studying Learner Behavior in Online Courses With Free-Certificate Coupons: Results From Two Case Studies
description	The relationship between pricing and learning behavior is an important topic in research on massive open online courses (MOOCs). We report on two case studies where cohorts of learners were offered coupons for free certificates to explore how price reductions might influence behavior in MOOC-based online learning settings. In Case Study 1, we compare participation and certification rates between courses with and without free-certificate coupons. In the courses with a free-certificate track, participants signed up for the verified-certificate track at higher rates, and completion rates among verified students were higher than in the paid-certificate track courses. In Case Study 2, we compare learner behavior within the same courses by whether they received access to a free-certificate track. Access to free certificates was associated with lower certification rates, but overall, certification rates remained high, particularly among those who viewed the courses. These findings suggest that some incentives, other than simply the cost of paying for a verified-certificate track, may motivate learners to complete MOOCs.
format	article
author	Joshua Littenberg-Tobias José A. Ruipérez-Valiente Justin Reich
author_facet	Joshua Littenberg-Tobias José A. Ruipérez-Valiente Justin Reich
author_sort	Joshua Littenberg-Tobias
title	Studying Learner Behavior in Online Courses With Free-Certificate Coupons: Results From Two Case Studies
title_short	Studying Learner Behavior in Online Courses With Free-Certificate Coupons: Results From Two Case Studies
title_full	Studying Learner Behavior in Online Courses With Free-Certificate Coupons: Results From Two Case Studies
title_fullStr	Studying Learner Behavior in Online Courses With Free-Certificate Coupons: Results From Two Case Studies
title_full_unstemmed	Studying Learner Behavior in Online Courses With Free-Certificate Coupons: Results From Two Case Studies
title_sort	studying learner behavior in online courses with free-certificate coupons: results from two case studies
publisher	Athabasca University Press
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/7b26f0c94bb74809a8785ebaed4d843c
work_keys_str_mv	AT joshualittenbergtobias studyinglearnerbehaviorinonlinecourseswithfreecertificatecouponsresultsfromtwocasestudies AT josearuiperezvaliente studyinglearnerbehaviorinonlinecourseswithfreecertificatecouponsresultsfromtwocasestudies AT justinreich studyinglearnerbehaviorinonlinecourseswithfreecertificatecouponsresultsfromtwocasestudies
_version_	1718376802404007936

Studying Learner Behavior in Online Courses With Free-Certificate Coupons: Results From Two Case Studies

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