The Social and Transfer Massive Open Online Course: Post-Digital Learning

Abstract

This research provides a current view on post-digital learning experiences with a massive open online course (MOOC), in relation to user profiles, universal instructional design, digital resources, inclusive activities and collaborative assessment. The study is based on a mixed research methodology, creating a questionnaire aimed at people with experience in any MOOC typology, in which the learning methodology, the instructional didactic design of the MOOCs, the resources, proposed activities, and accessibility are analyzed. Additionally, interviews and focus groups were carried out with the creators of massive open online social courses alongside the students of the official Master of Communication and Education on the Internet, offered by the UNED (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia—Spain), with the subject of virtual participation scenarios. The data obtained are subjected to statistical tests to determine the scientific rigor, such as Cronbach’s alpha, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, and the non-parametric tests of Spearman’s correlation coefficient and Kendall’s Tau b. In conclusion, the social massive open online course/transfer massive open online course model is evidenced as a projected approach in social networks. The sMOOC and tMOOC are online training models, which are in constant development and evolution, as a social, creative, collaborative, interactive, and inclusive learning methodology, offering new challenges for the digital distance education of the future. The research carried out is only related and linked to the experiences of different people with the sMOOC and tMOOC.

Keywords

• digital education
• MOOC
• sustainable distance education
• social networks
• virtual learning communities
• social learning