کلیة التربیة

        کلیة معتمدة من الهیئة القومیة لضمان جودة التعلیم

        إدارة: البحوث والنشر العلمی ( المجلة العلمیة)

    =======

The Revolution of Massive Open Online Courses and Its Effect On Learning English For Higher Education Students

Prepared by:

Huda Fahad Al –Jabr

}         المجلد الثالث والثلاثین– العدد التاسع– نوفمبر 2017م {

http://www.aun.edu.eg/faculty_education/arabic

 1.1 Introduction:

Computers have made great contributions into education in the past decade. They have brought significant benefits to teachers and students alike. It is possible to say that the computer has the following main roles in the language learning: teacher, tester, tool, data source, and communication facilitator[1]. In this research, I will focus on MOOC as one of computer applications and its effect on learning English Language for Higher Education Students.

In fact, the most important characteristic of the modern world is the revolution in the field of information and communication technology, beginning from a broader category (globalization) to those directly related to information and communication technology such as the era of communication and information revolution or the explosion of knowledge or information revolution in addition to other terms included in the dictionary of technology age (Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. 2013).

Therefore, the real challenge facing educational institutions is to take advantage of this progress and to employ it in order to provide a variety of choices of educational opportunities for students and to provide a sophisticated non-traditional learning environment where the infrastructure of this advanced technology is perfectly used.

Depending on that, the higher education should face the challenge this massive technological challenge and informational revolution that changed the methods of production and its patterns. The aim is to transfer from an industrial society to a society that is distinguished by intensive production of knowledge (Glance, D. G. et al., 2013).

This can be achieved through the integration of technology into the educational system to provide advanced non-traditional learning environment. In this new environment, the student will be able to build educational experiences by learning how to use multiple sources of knowledge. The technology employed here is the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). MOOC is one of the latest trends in open education via the Internet, where the full educational contents are introduced via online channels to learners of all ages and at any place in the world. It is an excellent opportunity for those who are seeking free knowledge and science on a large scale. This free knowledge is introduced through obtaining an attested certificate in all courses.

This study discusses a very important and effective subject during the last few years. It is about  Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) and its role in learning English in higher education.  In the beginning, it is important to illustrate that MOOC is a gathering of learning participants, or people willing to jointly exchange information and collaboratively enhance their knowledge.

MOOC integrates between social networking, acknowledged expert in a field of study, and a collection of accessible online resources. It is amazing educational tool that should be considered in order to provide the educational process with great value and benefits. MOOC is open world without any limits or restrictions. There is no exclusions, any one wishes to participate will find opportunity to benefit from these resources depending on his individual needs and requirements. In this research, we will focus on MOOC as global revolution for higher education (Daniel, J., 2012).

In fact, higher education has to face the great technological challenge and information revolution that changed the methods of living and adapting to the new world. By this way, technology will improve the type of education and its effectiveness in addition to introduce solutions to the problems facing traditional higher education. Furthermore, in this research, MOOC is used in order to enhance English Language Learning in higher education. 

1.2 Research Objectives

1. To illustrate individuals' trends toward applying (MOOC) system
2. To define the advantages of (MOOC) system in learning English language
3. To declare (MOOC) system defects
4. To define Suggestions for developing (MOOC) system in the two universities particularly, and higher education in Saudi Arabia generally.
5. What are the tendencies of the study sample towards the application of the MOOC system?
6. What are the advantages of (MOOC) system in learning English language?
7. What are the defects of (MOOC) system?
8. Are there suggestions for developing (MOOC) system in learning English?
9. The study addresses a new kind of education that is Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) as a formula for developing the educational process and facing the enormous densities of students and the inability of universities for absorption.
10. MOOC plays important role in providing students with great chances to learn English language.
11. This recent study comes as a response to the current trend of the most developed countries in general and Saudi Arabia in particular, in order to achieve maximum benefit from information and communication technologies in enhancing the English Language.
12. The importance of this study is represented in trying to identify the obstacles of using e-learning system created by the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom, and to benefit from (Massive Open Online Courses MOOC) in enhancing English language of higher education students.
13. This study introduces feedback for decision makers in the Ministry of Higher Education as it aims to discover the obstacles and problems that limit the usage of this system. This happens through supporting strength points and diagnosing weaknesses and working on treating them to promote the level of educational process. 
14. This recent study intends to help individuals who are responsible for e-learning and open learning to design Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) to introduce the required facilities to enhancing English language learning in higher education.
15. The results of this research may contribute to perform other researches that deal with other aspects of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC).

1.3 Research Questions

1.4 Research importance:

1.5 Definition of Terms:

The following terms could be operationally defined as:

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC):

A massive open online course (MOOC) is a free Web-based distance learning program that is designed for the participation of large numbers of geographically dispersed students. 

A MOOC may be patterned on a college or university course or may be less structured. Although MOOCs don't always offer academic credits, they provide education that may enable certification, employment or further studies.

Role of computer in the language learning:

It is possible to say that the computer has the following main roles in the language learning: teacher - the computer teaches students new language, tester - the computer tests students on language already learned, tool - the computer assists students to do certain tasks, data source - the computer provides students with the information they need to perform a particular task, and communication facilitator - the computer allows students to communicate with others in different locations.

English language:

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca. It is spoken            as a first language by the majority populations of several sovereign       states, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada,  Australia,  Ireland,  New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations; and it is an official language of almost 60 sovereign states. It is the third-most-common native language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. It is widely learned as a second language and is an official language of the European Union, many Commonwealth countries and the United Nations, as well as in many world organizations.

Higher Education:

Higher education,  post-secondary education, tertiary education  or  third level education is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after secondary education. Often delivered at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology, higher education is also available through certain college-level institutions, including vocational schools, trade schools, and other career colleges that award academic degrees or professional certifications.

1.6 The duration of the research:

The Time Limitations:

The time domain of this research is defined to be in the second semester of the year 2013/2014.

The Place Limitations:

The domain of this research is defined to be in King Saud University and Shaqraa University at Riyadh region in the  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Subjective Limitations:

The research is limited to the trends of teaching staff toward MOOC courses and suggestions to activate their role in enhancing English language of higher education students.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 Introduction:

This part of the research introduces important information about MOOC and its role in enhancing Learning English Language in Higher Education. The main aim is use MOOC in order to enhance the English language of higher education students. In fact, the higher education intends to graduate highly competent human cadres to comply with the contemporary age. So many universities compete  to achieve a quantum leap in its educational programs through applying virtual educational system and expanding it to become parallel to the traditional education.

Depending on this view and with the believe in the educational process that knowledge and learning are rights for everyone and with the desire to reach to the best criteria for learning, a new system of e-learning had been introduced that is represented in MOOC through cooperation with the best and most qualified teachers in the field of learning English language (Larkham, P. J., & Manns, S., 2009).

2.2 About MOOC:

MOOCs are the most recent category of new course delivery approaches. The approach transforms the idea of the 'master course' with its duplication of core course materials towards a more flexible centre to the course. While the format of delivery is transforming the potential of higher education, issues with high attrition rates, quality of delivery of content and pedagogic rigor have been debated in the literature (Allen & Seaman, 2013; Glance et al., 2013).

2.3 How MOOCs Work

MOOCs use Web-based tools and environments—referred to as platforms—to deliver education and classes in a new paradigm without regard for geographic boundaries and time zones and to much larger audiences—in fact, tens of thousands of students. As the box above outlines, various MOOC entities own these platforms. One of the key differences between MOOCs and the previous online approaches is that MOOCs are free. Students can take the courses at no charge. The pedagogy that MOOCs employ also differs significantly from “traditional online learning.” Learning is accomplished via a “flipped classroom” model, whereby the instructor employs the Internet and other technologies to allow students to gain knowledge that used to be delivered via a lecture format and then use time in the classroom to work on problems together (Larkham, P. J., & Manns, S., 2002).

With MOOCs, lectures are also structured differently. Rather than simply capturing a 45- or 60-minute lecture delivered in a traditional classroom and making it available online, faculty members record lecture modules tightly focused on various topics, lasting perhaps 12 to 15 minutes at most. One reason for that short duration is to allow students to “squeeze in” the content-delivery modules in convenient blocks of time during the synchronous window (Angela Chen, 2012).

Exercises, assessment devices (quizzes or tests), and grading are automated within the platform. For more-subjective, content-oriented exercises, students may “grade” each other via discussion forums and social-networking interactions. Of course, many questions about how assessment works and how “grading” is possible must be addressed. But there is no need to do so immediately, because students can take the MOOCs at no cost, and no certified value for their learning assessments has yet been established. As a result, the focus has been on the new MOOC approach itself and its potential impact on the way we deliver higher education (Cathy N. Davidson, 2012).

MOOCs are demonstrating the ability to provide access to education on a massive and international scale. Most students now enrolled in MOOCs are global—outside the United States. Most are also older, nontraditional students who use MOOCs for continuing education objectives; they are not students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program. Students who take MOOCs today appear to be doing so either as an “experience experiment” or as a way to augment their previous education for skill-enhancement purposes or personal self-actualization. But that balance could shift at any moment, as the uses of MOOCs to enhance existing educational programs develop (James J. Duderstadt, 2012).

2.4 Challenges of MOOC:

The main challenges for MOOCs are clear. Firstly, what is the cost reclaim or revenue model. This issue is particularly important for MOOCs, as they can be costly to develop and deliver, as they need more staffing resource available.

Secondly, the challenge of attrition rates is problematic for wider uptake of online courses (e.g. Simpson, 2012). The literature has been clear about pointing to the high dropout rates associated with MOOCs, with around 7-10% completing the courses (Daniel, 2012).

Thirdly, the challenge of maintaining quality levels seems significant. If universities are outsourcing their content to others or even setting up subsidiary organizations to deliver their content the issue of quality is a paramount one. Issues such as plagiarism and de-skilling teachers are also parallel concerns raised by Siemens (2013). Plagiarism is rife in all areas of higher education (Larkham & Manns, 2002), but reports recently have highlighted the issue in MOOCs as a particular concern (Young 2012a).

The other challenge for universities is how they are responding to globalization and in the context of higher education specifically to the internationalization of course offerings.

2.5 Importance of (MOOC) in teaching and learning from the viewpoint of faculty members:

The number of schools, colleges and teachers who use electronic courses is increasing in an unprecedented way. For example , the websites www.elearners.com contains about 193 electronic colleges and universities, and more than 6345 electronic courses, and they grant 515 degrees (diploma, bachelor, master's and doctoral degrees). There are more than 3,300 colleges and universities and more than 35,000 professor and 250,000 students and companies and organizations all over the world who use Blackboard system to manage e-learning . Since January 1998, about 1.741.190 students and teachers had used ICA system (www.nicenet.org) to manage the electronic courses. The number of users per month is 86.186 and the number of courses they use is 11.808 .

Whereas the Arab Universities' usage of e-learning will lead to quantity and quality boom in teaching, and not using it will lead to technological and scientific failure, from here the researcher felt that there is a need to conduct a study about the extent of Arab Universities' usage of e-learning and distance education to know the extent in which the universities comply with the latest technological developments in teaching. This became one of the requirements of this age and necessities (Angela Chen, 2012).

2.6 Motives and justifications for depending on Open Online Courses (MOOC):

-            Universal movement toward economy that is build on information.

-            High speed educational developments and the appearance of new movements such as globalization that changed our methods of dealings with the new inventions and increasing the dependence on information technology. 

-            The appearance of new occupations and professions that require special preparation in the university period. The new professions requires new methods of teaching and learning to provide the learners with the required knowledge and information.

-            Creating new methods to deal with the increasing number of students in universities and MOOC is one of these new methods.

2.7 Characteristics of learning through electronic courses :

E-learning is characterized by a set of characteristics that make it an important and necessary requirement to upgrade the educational process, including the following :

• Self-Learner Centered: it complies with the sequencing steps of the learner and his insatiable needs and develops his innovative capabilities and increases self-reliance .
• Global: due to the multiplicity of sources of knowledge and providing many Links to connect to various sites on the Internet.
• Interactive: there could be direct contact between the teacher and the learner through different methods in the same moment such as Really Chatting, Voice Conferencing, and Video Conferencing.
• Available: the courses are available 24 hours per day to learn and whenever he wants.
• Collaborative: to provide opportunity for cooperation between learners, as well as between teachers and learners through Chatting, and E-mail, which works to activate the role of students in learning, especially autistic students and students with difficulties in dealing face to face with others.
• Flexible: it is easily to modify and update scientific content in accordance with the requirements of this contemporary age (Cathy N. Davidson, 2012).

2.8 The nature of learning and the learner experience

Research into what constitutes good learning goes back to Dewey and beyond. More recently, there has been a substantial body of research exploring learners' experience of perceptions about technology. This research indicates that today’s learners are technologically immersed and see technologies as an essential tool for learning, they use a variety of strategies for findings and collating resources and for communicating and collaborating with peers. In essence, the characteristics of good learning are that it:

• Encourages reflection
• Enables dialogue
• Fosters collaboration
• Applies theory learnt to practice
• Creates a community of peers
• Enables creativity
• Motivates the learners.

Technologies offer many ways in which these can be realized; through interaction with multimedia, and through communication and collaboration with peers. Technologies can be used to foster different pedagogical approaches, which can be characterized as: associative, constructivist, situative and connectivist (Thorpe, M., 2002).

2.9 The importance of good learning and enhancing the quality of the learner experience

This section has described both the characteristics of good learning and the concept and importance of quality. Both need to be considered in conjunction to enhance the quality of the learner experience. Whilst mechanisms to ensure this are well established in formal education institutions, such mechanisms are not in place, certainly not in any formal sense, for MOOCs. And arguably this is a key issue that needs to be address if MOOCs are going to valuable and viable learning experiences and be sustainable in the longer term.

2.10 Pedagogical approaches

Participation in MOOCs can range from informal non-accredited participation through to engagement as part of a formal course offering. In some instances, tuition- paying students taking courses for credit join the same class as non-tuition paying, non-credit learners.

Many xMOOCs are primarily based on interactive material and videos plus multiple - choice quizzes. Udacity, Coursera and EdX courses consist mainly of lecture videos, course materials, quizzes and assignments. Some do contain wikis and discussion forums, although these are not extensively promoted or used. In some cases forum posts can be up- or down-voted by other participants; if a post is up-voted that participant receives a ‘karma point’. For some Udacity courses, participants have organized their own meet-ups with others who are Geographically co-located. Udacity has set up a meet-up site to facilitate this (James J. Duderstadt, 2012).

Cormier, in a video describing the nature of Connectivist MOOCs,18 defines five steps to success: orient, declare, network, cluster and focus. He also argues that knowledge in a MOOC is emergent and dependent on the interaction with others. In his PLENK2010 course he defines four types of activities: aggregate, remix, repurpose and feed forward. Therefore the intention of cMOOCs is to harness the power of social and participatory media to enable participants to communicate and collaborate through a variety of channels; for example Twitter, blogs, wikis, etc. and the use hashtags and curation tools (such as Pinterist or Scoop.it) to filter and aggregate. The focus is on personalisation, but also collective intelligence. Each participate forges their own learning path through the materials; picking and mixing which content, activities and communications are meaningful for them. These types of course align well with Cormier’s notion of Rhizomatic learning (Cormier 2008; Cormier 2011), i.e. networks are horizontal, dynamic and emergent, developing in different directions for different individuals. Barry provides a nice comparison of three different MOOCs in terms of workload, technology, content, pedagogy, assessment, etc. (Barry 2013).

Benefits

Since 2010, the U.S. Department of Education concluded in the study, “Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies,” that students learning online performed, on average, modestly better than those learning the same material through traditional face-to-face instruction, further enhancing online learning development. xMOOCs might be the final stage in the process, and they are expected to draw millions of students and adult learners globally, due to their indisputable benefits. These include: The free xMOOCs can reach a high number of students, including aspiring and established entrepreneurs, all over the world, with no time boundaries.

No discrimination due to age, nationality, occupation, health, or financial resources exist, each person with access to the internet is eligible. The emergence of the xMOOCs mark a unique educational opportunity for people living in developing countries, people with low incomes, people with disabilities, regardless of the reason for their online endeavor-to learn new job skills, to adapt to new demands at an existing job, to become an entrepreneur, or simply for knowledge enrichment.

Especially with xMOOCs, students can benefit professionally and personally from free and high quality course content, that follows the same rigorous standards as classroom-based courses. Competing platforms, Coursera and edX, have officially claimed to maintain similar quality standards and requirements. As the edX President points out, “the reach changes exponentially, but the rigor remains the same” (www.edx.org/faq). In fact, on average, less than 10% of MOOCs students are passing the final exams.

Students can also engage in a free high quality learning experience. xMOOCs’ designed formats, based on the advanced technology and using strict deadlines and grades, have strong pedagogical foundations that assist students to understand new concepts quickly and effectively ensuring their engagement and improve long-term retention. xMOOCs provide students with high flexibility, through the possibility of accessing the same content multiple times, anywhere and anytime. Students can feel free to pause, speed through the content, rewind, and repeat questions and/or answers without the fear of being judged or patronized. They can afford multiple attempts to demonstrate their new knowledge. Feedback is even more frequent than in the traditional classroom format, favoring an accurate self-monitoring of each student’s own progress (Susan Grajek and Judith A. Pirani, 2012).

Learners have the opportunity to experience the high interactivity of xMOOC format, not only in relation with the computer or smartphone, but also with fellow students. It is about joining a global community of thousands of students while learning alongside them and grading them. Coursera, for example now has the largest peer-grading pipeline ever devised, where tens of thousands of students are grading each other’s work successfully (Koller, 2012). Peer grading can add value to the learning experience. The chance to communicate and work on assignments with people from different cultures is, in itself, an uplifting experience. Collaborative learning, as a highly effective method, is also part of xMOOC experience. Students can collaborate in many ways: posing questions and answers on forums, sharing information, and forming virtual or physical study groups. The opportunity to try several domains while not being charged may result in a better self match between ones aptitudes, interests, and professional requirements.

Obstacles

Several weaknesses of MOOCs have been pointed out. For example, a new study by Inside Higher Ed and the Babson Survey Research Group shows that two thirds of the inquired professors are reluctant toward online education, considering that its learning outcomes are inferior to those of campus based education (Kolowich, 2012a). Lack of face-to-face communication, lack of frequent feedback from a professor, or irreplaceable classroom experiences are arguments frequently mentioned by skeptics. There were also questions raised regarding students’ evaluations, due to the difficulty to check who              is really completing the assignments, as well as the value of an         online degree.

The humanities, social sciences, and business, which require online written work utilizing critical thinking skills, are difficult to assess online. Hill (2012a) summarized the main interrelated barriers: developing revenue models to make the concept self-sustaining, delivering valuable signifiers of completion such as credentials, badges or acceptance into accreditation and authenticating students in a manner to satisfy accrediting institutions or hiring companies that the student’s identify is actually known. He also named the low rate of completion (under 10%) as a barrier but we believe this is occurring because of          the early phase in the MOOCs lifecycle and will be improved upon quickly. Important steps have already been made to overcome some of these obstacles.

Implications

In its 2011 survey of online learning results, Babson Survey Research Group shows a growing trend in the proportion of students taking online courses, at the global level (> 6.1 million) as of 2010. Also, one third of all students in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) were involved in at least one online course (Chmura, 2012). According to the same study, the growth of online enrollment was ten percent, while the growth in the overall higher education student population was only two percent. These results do not include the new powerful MOOC phenomenon that offers free access to higher standard education.

Even though a vocal minority in the academic community questions the quality of online education, 65 percent of HEIs now say that online learning is a critical part of their long-term strategy (Chmura, 2012). Strong evidence exists that supports the trend of growing interest in MOOCs, as more than 70 top ranked universities from 20 countries have joined in less than a year.

In the U.S., the leading MOOC country, high ranked personalities have already displayed positive attitudes toward the MOOC phenomenon, ranging from “experiment” to “revolution.” The President of the American Council on Education, Molly Corbett Broad, said that “[MOOCs] holds the potential for serving many, many hundreds of thousands of students in a way we simply cannot today” (Chea, 2012). The Chancellor of The University of California-Berkeley, Robert Birgeneau, believes that “[MOOCs] will ultimately revolutionize education” (Chea, 2012). Also, the Director of the Center for 21st Century Universities, Richard DeMillo, a computer science professor from Georgia Institute of Technology said, “We're in the middle of a potentially groundbreaking experiment. Really big things could come out of it” (Chea, 2012). Criticized by many for preserving the same lecture format for hundreds of years, HEIs face what could be considered “disruptive competition.” Russ Whitehurst, Director of the Brown Centre on Education Policy at the Brookings Institute said, “MOOCs provide disruptive competition to the status quo” (Lewin, 2012b). On the other side of the spectrum, people like Phil Hanlon, the Provost at the University of Michigan, believes that the new technology would enhance the campus experience by combining video watching with hands-on activities that can't be replicated in cyberspace (Simon, 2012).

Chapter 3: The Study methodology and procedures

This chapter addresses an explanation of the study methodology being followed, also defines the study population and sample, and describes the properties of the individuals of the study sample, then a presentation on how the study tool was built and ensure the validity and reliability the study tool (Questionnaire), and processing methods used in the statistical analysis of statistical data.

3.1 Methodology of the study

The researcher used the descriptive analytical approach, as it’s suitable for this kind of study as it depends on studying the phenomenon as it is in reality and describes it accurately and expresses it qualitatively or quantitatively the qualitative expression describes the phenomenon and explains it’s properties, the quantitative approach offers a numerical explanation that shows the amount or size of this phenomenon and The degrees of association with various other phenomena and defines the descriptive approach as an approach linked to a contemporary phenomenon with the intent of describing and interpreting it.

3.2 Study sample:

The study population consists of faculty members at the university of King Saud and Shaqraa university.

3.3 Study sample

A random sample of (66) faculty member, by (32) faculty members of King Saud University,(34) faculty members of Shaqraa university.

Characteristics of individuals in the study sample

The individuals of the study sample are characterized by a number of characteristic.

1-           The university.

Table number (1)

Distribution of the study sample according to the university variable

 Table number (1) illustrates the distribution of individuals of the study sample according to the university variable, as the majority of the individuals of the study sample (34) faculty members with a percentage of (51.1%) in Shaqraa university, while there are (32) faculty members with a percentage of (48.5%) in King Saud University

Figure number (1)

Distribution of the study sample according to the university variable

2-      Age

Table number (2)

Distribution of the study sample according to the age variable

Table number (2) shows that there are (20) faculty members with a percentage of (30.3%) with ages ranging between (30 to less than 40 years old) also there are (19) faculty members with a percentage of (28.8%) with ages less than (30 years old),(16) faculty members with a percentage of (24.2%) with ages ranging between (40 to less than 50 years old),at the end there are (11) faculty members with a percentage of (16.7%) with ages ranging between (50 to less than 60 years old)

Figure number (2)

Distribution of the study sample according to the age variable

3-Educational qualifications

Table number (3)

Distribution of the study sample according to the variable of educational qualifications

Table number (3) illustrates the distribution of the study sample according to educational qualifications, there are (25) faculty members with a percentage of (37.8%) hold a bachelors degree,(190 faculty members with a percentage of (28.8%) hold a masters degree, and (22) faculty members with a percentage of (33.3%) hold a PHD.

Figure number (3)

Distribution of the study sample according to the variable

educational qualification

4-Years of experience

Table number (4)

Distribution of the study sample according to the variable of years of experience

Table number (4) illustrates that there are (18) faculty members with a percentage of (27.3%) have (2 to less than 6) years of experience,(17) faculty members with a percentage of (25.8%) have (11 to less than 16 )years of experience,(14) faculty members with a percentage of (21.2%) have (16 to less than 21 )years of experience, are (12) faculty members with a percentage of (18.2%) have (6 to less than 11)years of experience, and (5) faculty members with a percentage of (7.6%) have less than 2 years of experience

Table number (4)

Distribution of the study sample according to the variable of years of experience

3.4 Study tool

Based on the nature of the data, and the approach taken in the study, and the time allowed the researcher found that the most suitable tool to achieve the goals of the study is the "Questionnaire" the study tool has been built with reference to the literature and previous studies related to the subject of study.

The questionnaire in its final form consists of two parts:

Part one: deals with preliminary data of the study sample as:

-          University

-          Age

-          Educational qualifications

-          Years of experience

Part two: consists of (23) paragraphs divided into four axises as follows:

-          The first axis: Examines trends in the study sample towards the application of the MOOC system and it consists of (4) parts.

-          The second axis: Examines the benefits of the MOOC system in learning English and it consists of (10)parts.

-          The third axis: Examines the defects of the MOOC system and it consists of (4) parts.

-          The fourth axis: Examines Proposals for the development of the MOOC system and it consists of (5) parts .

Validity of the study tool

         The validity of the questionnaire means making sure that it will measure what it was built to measure  ,also validity means that the inclusion of all the elements that needs to be included in the study in the study tool on one hand , also the clarity of its Paragraphs and vocabulary on the other hand ,so it would be understandable to whoever uses it, the researcher made insured the validity of the questionnaire through the following:

First: The virtual validity of the study tool (arbitrators’ validity):

          After the completion of the building the study tool that addresses, it was presented to a number of arbitrators to be guided by their opinions.

The arbitrators were thankfully asked to offer feedback about the clarity of the vocabulary and its suitability to its purpose, and the suitability of the phrases to its axis, also offering adjustments and suggestions that might help in developing the questionnaire.

And according to the arbitrators’ feedback, the researcher made the necessary adjustments that were agreed upon by the majority of the arbitrators, they included changing some phrases and removing others, until the questionnaire became in its final form attachment number (3).  

Second: validity of the internal consistency of the study tool:

After making sure of the virtual validity of the study tool the researcher conducted a field application and according to the sample data the researcher calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient to figure out the internal validity of the questionnaire as the correlation coefficient was calculated between the degree of each of the phrases in the questionnaire to the total grade of the axis it belongs to and this is illustrated in the following tables:

Table number (5)

Pearson’s correlation coefficient for both (individual’s tendency towards applying the MOOC system. the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English)to the total grade of the axis

** function at the level of 0.01        

Table number (6)

Pearson’s correlation coefficient for both (the deficiencies of the MOOC system Suggestions for developing the MOOC system) to the total grade of the axis

** function at the level of 0.01        

Tables number (5, 6) show that all the phrases function at the level of (0.01) and that gives an indication of the high internal consistency coefficients, It also refers to the high and sufficient indicators of validity to be trusted in the application of the current study.  

Reliability of the study tool

The reliability of the questionnaire means making sure that the answer will almost be the same if it was reapplied on the same individuals in different times, the researcher measured the reliability of the study tool using the Alpha cronbach reliability coefficient, and table number (7) shows the reliability coefficient of the axises of the study  tool as follows:

Table number (7)

Alpha cronbach’s coefficient for measuring the reliability of the study tool

Table number (7) illustrates The scale of the study has a statistically acceptable consistently, as the total reliability coefficient (alpha)(0.854)which is a high reliability degree, also the reliability coefficient of the study tool ranged between (0.805,0.951) which are  high reliability coefficients that can be trusted in the application of the current study.

3.5 Data Collecting Method:

The scientific material will be gathered from a number of resources including books, scientific review related to the topic, as well as the previous studies and the explanatory systems and regulations issued about MOOC. This is to cover the theoretical aspect and analyze the responses of the study community sample to the questionnaire.

3.6 Data Analysis Methods:

Statistical Analysis Methods:

To address the data of the study , the researcher used the following statistical methods:

To achieve the goals of the study and analyze the collected data, many suitable statistical methods were used using Statistical Package for Social Sciences also known as (SPSS).

After the data were encoded and inputted into the Computer, and to determine the length of the cells of the pentatonic scale (lower and upper limits) used in the axises of the study, the statistical term was calculated (5-1=4),then divided on the number of the measurement cells to get the correct cell length as (4/5=0.80) then this amount was added to the lowest value in the scale (or the beginning of the scale which is one) and that is to determine the upper limit of the cell, and thus the length of the cells became as follows:

-            From 1 to 1.80 represents the degree of response (Strongly Disagree) towards each phrase with difference in the axis desired for measurement.

-            From 1.81 to 2.60 represents the degree of response (Disagree) towards each phrase with difference in the axis desired for measurement.

-            From 2.61 to 3.40 represents the degree of response (Neutral) towards each phrase with difference in the axis desired for measurement.

-            From 3.41 to 4.20 represents the degree of response  (Agree) towards each phrase with difference in the axis desired for measurement.

-            From 4.21 to 5.0 represents the degree of response (strongly Agree) towards each phrase with difference in the axis desired for measurement.

After that the statistical measures were calculated as follows:

1. Frequencies and percentages to identify personal and functional characteristics for the study sample and identify the responses of its members towards the main axis’s phrases contained in the study tool.
2. Pearson’s correlation coefficient to check the validity of the study tool by finding the relation between each phrase and the total degree of its axises.
3. Cronbach’s alpha Coefficient to check the reliability of the study tool.
4. The Mean to identify how high or low the responses of the study sample is the responses of the main axises for the study (median averages phrases), as it’s important in arranging the axises according to the highest mean.
5. Then using the standard deviation in identifying the extent of deviation of the responses of the study for each of the phrases in the study variables, each axis of the main axises for the Mean, and it’s noticed that the standard deviation shows the dispersion in the responses of the study sample for each of the phrases in the study variables along with the main axises, the closer the value is to zero the more focused the responses are and the dispersion decreased between the scale.
6. The Independent Sample T-Test was used on two independent samples to identify if there were significant statistical differences between the members of the study trends towards the study axises with the difference in their personal and functional variables which are divided into two categories.
7. The One Way Anova test was used to identify whether there were significant statistical differences between the members of the study trends towards the study axises with the difference in their personal and functional variables which are divided into more than two categories.

Chapter 4: Showing the results of the study and discussing them

This chapter deals with displaying the results of the field study and discussing them by showing the answers of the members of the study to the questionnaire phrases by answering the study questions as follows:

Question number one: what are the tendencies of the study sample towards the application of the MOOC system?

To answer the previous question the researcher calculated the frequencies, percentages, Means and the standard deviation of the answers of the study sample towards the faculty members of King Saud University and Shaqraa university tendency towards the application of the MOOC system, also these paragraphs were arranged according to the Mean for both of them as follows:

Table number (8)

Frequencies, percentages, Means and standard deviation of the faculty members of King Saud University and Shaqraa university tendency towards the application of the MOOC system

Table number (8) shows the following:

The faculty member at the Universities of King Saud university and Shaqraa’s tendency towards the application of the MOOC system includes (4) paragraphs, they all came with the grade of (strongly agree), their Means ranged between (4.24 and 4.50), these means fall in the fifth category of the gradual quintet scale that ranges between (4.21 to 5.0) and the previous result shows convergence between the tendencies of the study sample towards applying the MOOC system to higher education students.

1. Paragraph number (1) (The MOOC curriculum affects students in virtual learning environments) ranked number one between the paragraphs related to the tendency of the study sample towards applying the MOOC system to higher education students with a Mean of (4.50) and standard deviation (0.53) which shows that there is a strong agreement between the study sample on that The MOOC curriculum affects students in virtual learning environments.

2. paragraph number (3) (Using digital technology improves students’ learning level) ranked number two between the paragraphs related to the tendency of the study sample towards applying the MOOC system to higher education students with a Mean of (4.48) and standard deviation (0.61) which shows that there is a strong agreement between the study sample on Using digital technology improves students’ learning level.

3. Paragraph number (4) (The MOOC effect on students is represented in the method of recording the event, such as voice recording and image) ranked number three between the paragraphs related to the tendency of the study sample towards applying the MOOC system to higher education students with a Mean of(4.39) and standard deviation (0.65) which shows that there is a strong agreement between the study sample on that The MOOC effect on students is represented in the method of recording the event, such as voice recording and image.

4. Paragraph number (2) (There is a possibility that they affect the students through the assessment methods via the Internet) ranked number four between the paragraphs related to the tendency of the study sample towards applying the MOOC system to higher education students with a Mean of (4.24) and standard deviation (0.66) which shows that there is a strong agreement between the study sample on that There is a possibility that they affect the students through the assessment methods via the Internet.

The average Mean is (4.41), and that shows that there are positive tendencies between the study sample towards applying the MOOC system to higher education students, and that is represented in (that the MOOC curriculum affects the students in virtual learning environments and also that using digital technology improves the student learning level with addition to that the effect on students is represented in the method of recording the event, such as voice recording and image.

Question number two: what are the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English?

To answer the previous question the researcher calculated the frequencies, percentages, Means and the standard deviation of the answers of the study sample towards the advantages of using the MOOC system in learning English, also the paragraphs were arranged according to the Mean for both of them as follows:

Table number (9)

Frequencies, percentages, Means and standard deviation of the  study sample responses towards the advantages of the MOOC  system in learning English

Table number (9) shows the following:

The advantages of using the MOOC system in learning English axis includes (10) paragraphs, all came with a (strongly agree) grade, their Mean ranges between (4.24, 4.47), and these Means fall within the fifth category of the gradual Quintet scale that ranges between (4.21 to 5.0) and the previous result shows convergence between the tendencies of the study sample towards the advantages of using the MOOC system in learning English.

1-Paragraph (4) (The MOOC offers a learning environment full of vital aid that helps students acquire English language with ease) ranked number one between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.47) and a standard deviation of (0.53),and that shows the strong agreement between the study sample on that The MOOC offers a learning environment full of vital aid that helps students acquire English language with ease.

2- Paragraph (1) (Digital courses in learning English language increases students' cooperation and integration in learning) ranked number two between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.45) and a standard deviation of (0.56),and that shows the strong agreement between the study sample on that The Digital courses in learning English language increases students' cooperation and integration in learning.

3- Paragraph (10) (It is possible to acquire information through different patterns) ranked number three between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.44) and a standard deviation of (0.59),and that shows the strong agreement between the study sample on that It is possible to acquire information through different patterns.

4- Paragraph (9) (Learning English through the MOOC saves time and effort) ranked number four between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.41) and a standard deviation of (0.53),and that shows the strong agreement between the study sample on that Learning English through the MOOC saves time and effort.

5- Paragraph (3) (The MOOC helped in developing the skills of learning English on the international level) ranked number five between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.36) and a standard deviation of (0.60), and that The MOOC helped in developing the skills of learning English on the international level.

6- Paragraph (7) (While learning English, students are provided with sufficient flexibility to study according to their own interests) ranked number six between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.36) and a standard deviation of (0.65), and that While learning English, students are provided with sufficient flexibility to study according to their own interests.

7- Paragraph (8) (In the MOOC simulation software is used to provide English language exercises) ranked number seven between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.35) and a standard deviation of (0.51),and that In the MOOC simulation software is used to provide English language exercises.

8- Paragraph (2) (The MOOC presents all materials electronically) ranked number eight between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.30) and a standard deviation of (0.66),and that the MOOC presents all materials electronically.

9- Paragraph (6) (The MOOC activities aim at motivating students for the implementation of many projects) ranked number nine between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.26) and a standard deviation of (0.59),and that The MOOC activities aim at motivating students for the implementation of many projects.

10- Paragraph (5) (Allows students to participate in educational activities) ranked number ten between the paragraphs related to the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English with a Mean of (4.24) and a standard deviation of (0.61),and that the MOOC system allows students to participate in educational activities.

The average Mean is (4.37) and that shows the strong agreement among the members of the study sample on the advantages of the MOOC system in learning English, some of the most important advantages are (that The MOOC offers a learning environment full of vital aid that helps students acquire English language with ease also Digital courses in learning English language increases students' cooperation and integration in learning with addition to that It is possible to acquire information through different patterns and that Learning English through the MOOC saves time and effort also The MOOC helped in developing the skills of learning English on the international level).

Question number three: what are the disadvantages of the MOOC in learning English?

To answer the previous question the researcher calculated the frequencies, percentages, Means and the standard deviation of the answers of the study sample towards the disadvantages of the MOOC system in learning English, also these paragraphs were arranged according to the Mean for both of them as follows:

Table number (10)

Frequencies, percentages, Means and standard deviation of the study sample responses towards the disadvantages of the MOOC system in learning English

Table number (10) shows the following:

The MOOC disadvantages in learning English axis includes (4) paragraphs, (3) paragraphs came with the grade of (neutral),they ranged between(2.68,3.17),these Means fall within the third category of the gradual Quintet scale that ranges between (2.60 to 3.39) while (one paragraph)came with a degree of (disagree) and that’s paragraph number(1),it’s Mean is(2.50)and that Mean falls within the second category of the gradual Quintet scale that ranges between (1.81 to 2.60) and the previous result shows the convergence between the tendencies of the study sample towards the disadvantages of the MOOC system in learning English.

1-Paragraph number (4) (Generalization of the MOOC technology needs a lot of preparations and financial support) ranked number one with a Mean of (3.17) and standard deviation of(1.10)and that shows that there is neutrality between approval and rejection among the members of the study sample on that the Generalization of the MOOC technology needs a lot of preparations and financial support is one of the disadvantages of the MOOC system in learning English.

2- Paragraph number (3) (Some students don’t have the ability to deal with the MOOC technology) ranked number two with a Mean of (2.92) and standard deviation of (1.09)and that shows that there is neutrality between approval and rejection among the members of the study sample on that Some students don’t have the ability to deal with the MOOC technology is one of the disadvantages of the MOOC system in learning English.

3- Paragraph number (2) (Changing the curriculum of   teaching in various stages of education takes a long time) ranked number three with a Mean of (2.68) and standard deviation of (0.93) and that shows that there is neutrality between approval and rejection among the members of the study sample on that Changing the curriculum of   teaching in various stages of education takes a long time is one of the disadvantages of the MOOC system in learning English.

4- Paragraph number (1) (There’s not enough time to merge digital technology into education) ranked number four with a Mean of (2.50) and standard deviation of (0.52) and that shows that there a disagreement among the members of the study sample on that There’s not enough time to merge digital technology into education is one of the disadvantages of the MOOC system in learning English.

The average Mean is (2.82),and that shows the neutrality between approval and rejection among the members of the study sample on the disadvantages of the MOOC system in learning English, The most important of these obstacles(is that the Generalization of the MOOC technology needs a lot of preparations and financial support, also Some students don’t have the ability to deal with the MOOC technology with addition to that Changing the curriculum of   teaching in various stages of education takes a long time).

Fourth question: What are the main proposals that can develop the MOOC system in learning English?

To answer the previous question the researcher calculated the frequencies, percentages, Means and the standard deviation of the answers of the study sample towards the most important suggestions that can develop the MOOC system in learning English, also the paragraphs were arranged according to the Means of both of them as follows:

Table number (11)

Frequencies, percentages, Means and standard deviation of the study sample responses towards the most important suggestions that can develop the MOOC system in learning English

Table number (11) shows the following

The suggestions that can develop the MOOC system in learning English axes includes (5) paragraphs, they all came with a grade of (strongly agree), their Means range between (4.62, 4.73), and these Means fall within the fifth category of the gradual Quintet scale that range between(4.21 to 5.0),and the previous result shows the convergence between the tendencies of the study sample towards The suggestions that can develop the MOOC system in learning English .

1-Paragraph number (1) (The Saudi government must adopt a joint plan with other Arab League in order to activate the electronic courses in all universities) ranked number one among the other paragraphs related to suggestions that can develop the MOOC system in learning English, with a Mean of (4.73) and standard deviation of (0.57),and that shows that there is a strong agreement among the members of the study sample on that The Saudi government must adopt a joint plan with other Arab League in order to activate the electronic courses in all universities.

2- Paragraph number (3) (Training the faculty members and the students on how to benefit from the MOOC system) ranked number two among the other paragraphs related to suggestions that can develop the MOOC system in learning English, with a Mean of (4.70) and standard deviation of (0.61),and that shows that there is a strong agreement among the members of the study sample on that Training the faculty members and the students on how to benefit from the MOOC system and will help develop the MOOC system.

3- Paragraph number (2) (The establishment of laboratories in each college in order to be centers to benefit from the MOOC system) ranked number three among the other paragraphs related to suggestions that can develop the MOOC system in learning English, with a Mean of (4.67) and standard deviation of (0.66),and that shows that there is a strong agreement among the members of the study sample on that the establishment of laboratories in each college in order to be centers to benefit from the MOOC system will help develop the MOOC system.

4- Paragraph number (5) (Marketing the importance of the MOOC system in learning English) ranked number four among the other paragraphs related to suggestions that can develop the MOOC system in learning English, with a Mean of (4.65) and standard deviation of (0.75),and that shows that there is a strong agreement among            the members of the study sample on that Marketing the importance           of the MOOC system in learning English will help develop the   MOOC system.

5- Paragraph number (4) (Provide technical support and maintenance of networks and devices while in use by the faculty members) ranked number five among the other paragraphs related to suggestions that can develop the MOOC system in learning English, with a Mean of (4.62) and standard deviation of (0.63), and that shows that there          is a strong agreement among the members of the study sample on that Providing technical support and maintenance of networks and       devices while in use by the faculty members will help develop the MOOC system.

The average Mean is (4.67), and that shows that there is strong agreement between the members of the study sample on the suggestions for developing the MOOC system in learning English, some of the most important suggestions are (that the Saudi government must adopt a joint plan with other Arab League in order to activate the electronic courses in all universities also training the faculty members and the students on how to benefit from the MOOC system with addition to the establishment of laboratories in each college in order to be centers to benefit from the MOOC system and Marketing the importance of the MOOC system in learning English).

Question number 4: Is there a significant difference between the Mean responses of the study sample towards the study axises with the difference in variables (age .university .educational qualification. years of Experience)?

Firstly: differences with change in the university variable:

To know whether there are statistically significant differences between the Means of the responses of the study sample towards the study axises with the difference in the university variable the independent sample t-test was used on to independent samples as shown in table (12).

Table number (12)

The independent sample t-test results for two independent            samples the differences between the Means for the responses            of the study sample towards the study axises with the change in the university variable

Table (12) shows that there are no statistically significant differences between the Means for the responses of the study sample towards ( individuals Trends toward applying the MOOC system , Advantages of the MOOC system in learning English, Disadvantages of the MOOC system, Suggestions for developing the MOOC system)         with the change in the university variable, as the value of the               level of significance of the axis, respectively are as follows (0.529,0.598,0.113,0.337),and these are all value bigger that(0.05) ,so they are not statistically significant.

And the previous result shows that the faculty members at different universities as Al King Saud university and Shaqraa University have positive tendencies towards the application of the MOOC system in electronic learning.

Secondly: differences with change in the age variable:

To know whether there are statistically significant differences between the Means of the responses of the study sample towards the study axises with the difference in the age variable the one way anova test was used as shown in table (13).

Table number (13)

The One Way Anova test results for the differences between the Means for the responses of the study sample towards the study axises with the change in the age variable

Table (13) shows that there are no statistically significant differences the Means for the responses of the study sample towards (individuals Trends toward applying the MOOC system , Advantages of the MOOC system in learning English, Disadvantages of the MOOC system, Suggestions for developing the MOOC system) with the change in the age variable.

And the previous result shows the convergence of views of the study sample of different age categories towards the effect of the MOOC system in learning English on higher education students.

Thirdly: differences with change in the educational qualification variable:

To know whether there are statistically significant differences between the Means of the responses of the study sample towards the study axises with the difference in the educational qualification variable the one way anova test was used as shown in table (14).

Table number (14)

The One Way Anova test results for the differences between the Means for the responses of the study sample towards the study axises with the change in the educational qualification variable

Table (14) shows that there are no statistically significant differences the Means for the responses of the study sample towards (Advantages of the MOOC system in learning English, Disadvantages of the MOOC system, Suggestions for developing the MOOC system) with the change in the educational qualification variable, as the value of the level of significance of the axis, respectively are (0.059, 0.569, 0.674), these are all values bigger than (0.05),so they are statistically insignificant.

Although there are statistically significant differences between the Means for the responses of the study sample towards Individual trends towards applying the MOOC system with the difference in the educational qualification variable, the value of significance was (0.023).

To find out the direction of the differences and for the benefit of which category of the categories of the educational Qualification variable,        the least significant difference test (LSD)was used as shown in table number (15)

Table number (15)

The least significant difference (LSD) test for the differences between the Means for the responses of the study sample towards Individual trends towards applying the MOOC system with the difference in the educational qualification variable

Table (15) shows the Shows the results of a posteriori comparisons between the Means of the responses of the study sample trends towards applying the MOOC system with the difference in the educational qualification variable, the results show that the differences came between faculty members with a bachelor degree and faculty members with              (a Masters. a PHD) degree, in the favor of faculty members with a PHD with a Mean approval of (4.55), and the previous results show that faculty members with a PHD have strong positive tendencies towards the application of the MOOC system.

Fourthly: differences with change in the years of experience variable:

To know whether there are statistically significant differences between the Means of the responses of the study sample towards the study axises with the difference in the years of experience variable the one way anova test was used as shown in table (15). 

Table number (15)

The One Way Anova test results for the differences between the Means for the responses of the study sample towards the study axises with the change in the years of experience variable

Table (15) shows that there are no statistically significant differences the Means for the responses of the study sample towards (Individual trends towards applying the MOOC system, Advantages of the MOOC system in learning English, Disadvantages of the MOOC system, Suggestions for developing the MOOC system) with the change in the years of experience variable.

And the previous result shows the convergence of views of the study sample of different years of experience towards the effect of the MOOC system in learning English on higher education students.

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