Analyzing Behavioral Patterns in an Introductory Programming MOOC at University Level

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are an indispensable component in university education today. In large introductory courses especially, MOOCs can promote the efficiency of online teaching tremendously, since a large and heterogeneous group of students can be prepared for further courses and learn self-paced and self-directed. However, MOOCs are also characterized by high dropout rates and with a small group of people only completing the course. In this paper, we analyzed the Learning Object Oriented Programming MOOC from Technical University of Munich, an edX course that is dedicated to first-year students in different fields. The course run of 2019 with 2,489 enrolled users is analyzed for this purpose. The dropouts (89 %) were analyzed to better understand future course design. Interaction in the MOOC was considered in this context as a means of detecting behavioral patterns and predicting early dropouts. We found that the interaction with certain MOOC elements such as videos or the problem tool had a major impact on course success. These results may be useful for earlier dropout predictions and the design of future courses to provide an engaging environment with fewer students quitting the course.