Are MOOC learning designs culturally inclusive (enough)?

Background: Extensive research on massive open online courses (MOOCs) has focused on analysing learners' behavioural trace data to understand navigation and activity patterns, which are known to vary systematically across geo-cultural contexts. However, the perception of learners regarding the role of different learning design elements in sustaining their engagement in the course is still unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine learners' perception of learning design elements in MOOCs and explore the ways in which these perceptions differ between geo-cultural contexts.

Methods: We conducted interviews with 22 learners from seven geo-cultural regions to gather insights into their learning design preferences.

Results: Our findings indicate that learners from regions such as South Asia exhibit a strong inclination towards video-based content and a lesser preference for reading textual resources. In contrast, learners from regions such as Anglo-Saxon demonstrate a high preference for reading texts such as articles and video transcripts.

Conclusion: The observed variations in self-reported interests in various learning design elements raise intriguing questions about the nature and extent of participation of various geo-cultural groups. This study underscores the need to develop inclusive MOOC designs and implement learning analytics approaches that adapt to the cultural preferences of learners.