Instructional Strategies that Respond to Global Learners’ Needs in Massive Open Online Courses
Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe how learners’ needs in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were perceived and responded to during the course design and delivery by MOOC instructors. Participants were fifteen instructors and instructional designers in American higher educational institutions who were involved in designing and delivering MOOC subjects on the Coursera platform. Instructional strategies used to address multicultural learners' needs varied and were categorized into three themes: language, content and engagement. The study also investigated the pedagogical challenges and concerns that the participants faced when designing and delivering the MOOCs. Recommendations for further research include replicating the study on different MOOC platform(s) besides Coursera and diversifying the data collection methodology beyond interviews.