The pedagogical quality of MOOCs based on a systematic review of JCR and Scopus publications (2013-2015)

MOOCs are seen as the latest devel­ opment in online learning and since their launch in 2008 they have become an inte­ gral part of university course curricula. We are currently at an early stage in the deve­ lopment of MOOCs; few studies have been published on their assessment so far. Con­ sequently, this paper is based on a literature review, using the main academic databases JCR and Scopus, on 33 articles published bet­ ween 2013 and 2015 with the objective of de­ termining the educational quality of MOOCs. The methodology is based on a literature review procedure in which seven categories were distinguished when carrying out the analysis: course planning, contents, metho­ dology, resources and activities, motivation, communication, and assessment and certifi­ cation. The results of this study show that the assessment of the quality of MOOCs refers to a slightly higher than average quality, except for the three variables of content, resources and activities, and assessment. However, it warns of a lack of studies that assess the peda­ gogical quality of MOOCs and so we suggest further studies are needed with greater meth­ odological rigour to obtain conclusive results.