Turning MOOC Cons into Pros: Using MOOCs for Recruitment in Higher Education

In recent years, MOOCs have developed rather negative connotationsas a learning delivery platform:high attrition rate, middling rigor, heterogeneous student cohorts with widelyvarying skill levels and backgrounds, insufficient recognition of learningvalue, and an unsustainable “free” business model. Using a MOOC as arecruitment tool, rather than just a content delivery system, flips these MOOC“cons” to “pros.”

Strategy and implementation—our experience

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), University ofMaryland University College (UMUC), and the University of Maryland System (UMS)collaboratively engaged in a MOOC development project using the edX platform.The purpose of the MOOC was two-fold—to begin preparing learners for work inthe field of global health, and to serve as a recruitment tool for a morecomprehensive online Global Health Certificate Program. Earning a graduate-levelcertificate requires students to complete an accredited 12-credit program ofstudy. A primary development goal of the Global Health MOOC was to make it both a useful recruitment tool and anengaging learning experience for all interested students.

After initial training by edX on the authoring tool, contentexperts, course developers, and marketing specialists teamed up to create a six-weekcourse. Each week of the MOOC offered students a glimpse of one or more of thecourses that make up the certificate program and also introduced students tothe graduate faculty by means of brief video lectures. Each module requiredstudents to view several instructor video lectures, read some open educationalresources (OERs), engage in an online discussion, and complete a set of knowledge-checkquestions. The rigor was purposely set at a moderate level, since the MOOC wasaccommodating a highly heterogeneous group.

The course launched with more than 800 students from over100 countries (Figure 1). Eighty percent of participants had a college degree,and about half of those had a graduate or professional degree. From the start,only 32% of students actively participated in the course. Over the six-weekspan of the course, participation dropped to only 11%.

Figure 1: Geographic distribution ofGlobal Health MOOC learners

However, those who demonstrated enough self-motivation andpersistence to successfully complete the course (as determined by performanceanalytics, Figure 2) were considered prime candidates for the certificateprogram. These students were encouraged, through a personalized email by theinstructor, to consider applying to the certificate program. Results of this phaseof the recruitment effort, however, are indeterminate, since follow-upengagement of the preferred students is still ongoing.

Figure 2: Performance analytics byindividual students

Takeaways

Using a MOOC for recruitment turns the inherentdisadvantages of a free, large-scale learning experience into advantages. The highattrition rate becomes a natural means for filtering the self-motivated andpersistent learners from those who are less so. The rigor of the MOOCcoursework can be moderated to accommodate the tremendous variety ofparticipants’ life experiences. The MOOC attracted a wildly multinational and multiculturalstudent cohort with diverse skills and motivations who were all interested ingaining expertise in a common field of study—students our institution wouldnever have reached through traditional recruitment methods. Highperformance and achievement were recognized and rewarded with a specialinvitation to apply for continued learning. And the free business model is madesustainable by attracting MOOC participants who elect to enroll in thecertificate program.

If you would like to see more information about the Global HealthMOOC, visit the course archive page.

References

G2 Collective. “Top 5 Issues with MOOCs.” 1 May 2013.

Universities UK. Massive open online courses: Higher education’s digital moment? May2013.