Can demographic information predict MOOC learner outcomes?

There has been much written about the disruptive nature of Massive Open Online Courses on Higher Education, and online learning over the last two years. During that time, universities have been delivering online courses to many thousands of participants from around the world. Studies are beginning to use the data gathered from participants before, during and after courses to understand and evaluate these online learning courses. Generally, to date studies have focussed on the drop-out rate of learners from courses. This study uses pre-course survey data and online learner behaviour data gathered from five MOOCs delivered by the University of Leeds in 2014 to understand which learner characteristics might impact on completion. The results show that four characteristics are significantly associated with degree of completion. However, further examination of the data reveals anomalies and suggests that the MOOC population is much more complex than the headline data implies.