Skill Confidence Ratings in a MOOC: Examining the Link between Skill Confidence and Learner Development

This paper explores the development of perceived learner skill confidence in a programming MOOC by applying and analyzing a new Skill Confidence Rating (SCR) survey. After cleaning datasets, we analyze a sample of n = 1689 for the first course module and n = 1147 for the second course module. Results show that on average, learners perceive their skills more confidently after taking a module. The initial confidence per module differs. We could not find a correlation between perceived learner confidence and learner performance in this course.

[1]  Roy Williams,et al.  The ideals and reality of participating in a MOOC , 2010 .

[2]  B. Weiner.  Achievement Motivation and Attribution Theory , 1974 .

[3]  A. Bandura,et al.  Social foundation of thoughts and actions: A social cognitive theory , 1986 .

[4]  S. Pieschl.  Metacognitive calibration—an extended conceptualization and potential applications , 2009 .

[5]  John Keller,et al.  Learner motivation and E-learning design: A multinationally validated process , 2004 .

[6]  A. Bandura.  GUIDE FOR CONSTRUCTING SELF-EFFICACY SCALES , 2006 .

[7]  S. Dreyfus.  The Five-Stage Model of Adult Skill Acquisition , 2004 .

[8]  J. Keller.  Strategies for stimulating the motivation to learn , 1987 .

[9]  Allison Littlejohn,et al.  Context counts: How learners' contexts influence learning in a MOOC , 2015, Comput. Educ..

[10]  Leslie Alan Moller.  The effects of confidence building strategies on learner motivation and achievement , 1993 .

[11]  R. Hake.  Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses , 1998 .

[12]  Christoph Meinel,et al.  The DT MOOC Prototype: Towards Teaching Design Thinking at Scale , 2018 .

[13]  Bradford S. Bell,et al.  Toward a theory of learner-centered training design: An integrative framework of active learning. , 2009 .

[14]  Patricia A. Alexander,et al.  Calibration: What Is It and Why It Matters? An Introduction to the Special Issue on Calibrating Calibration. , 2013 .

[15]  Eduardo Salas,et al.  The Science of Training and Development in Organizations , 2012, Psychological science in the public interest : a journal of the American Psychological Society.

[16]  Ellen L. Usher,et al.  Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning , 2008 .

[17]  S. Dreyfus,et al.  A Five-Stage Model of the Mental Activities Involved in Directed Skill Acquisition , 1980 .

[18]  Roger Martin.  The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage , 2009 .

[19]  Li Yuan,et al.  MOOCs and open education: Implications for higher education , 2013 .

[20]  Daniel L. Dinsmore,et al.  What are confidence judgments made of? Students' explanations for their confidence ratings and what that means for calibration , 2013 .