Summary :

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer educational opportunities to a wide range of learners. However, MOOCs also challenge learners who do not have the habit of learning independently. Hence, the mission of educators, instructional designers, and platform providers is to enable learners to take advantage of those opportunities by helping them build a lifelong learning tool kit to succeed in these online courses.

The competence of establishing personal learning goals must be part of that tool kit. Many studies have shown that goal setting is an essential self-regulatory process that contributes to a successful MOOC learning experience. Goal setting is the driving force behind any educational intention and can provide the basis for a strategic plan formulated by learners at the start of a learning task. Previous studies have also shed light on a disparity between the goals of MOOC providers and the goal of learners. This issue calls for more research on the types of personal learning goals set by learners.

In this presentation, I will share the findings of my PhD regarding the goal-setting behaviour of two groups of adult learners enrolled in MOOCs for language learning purposes. I will present five types of personal learning goals alongside the goal-setting support identified in MOOCs. The presentation will end by showing three elements of MOOCs that influenced the goal-setting behaviour of participants. Attendees will have time to discuss future support and guidance to help learners identify, monitor, and achieve their personal learning goals in these massive online courses.

Biography :

Barbara Conde Gafaro has just completed her PhD at , The Open University (UK) on self-regulated learning and goal setting in MOOCs. Her interests in modern languages, educational technology and social cognitive theory have led her to form a solid foundation in language education and online learning.

During her master’s studies at Coventry University and doctorate journey at The Open University (OU), Barbara worked as a research assistant for the British Council ELTRA Awarded Project B-MELTT and the Erasmus+ MOOC2Move project.

By the end of her PhD, she also worked closely with the Director of the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) and Senior Research Manager of openTEL at the OU. Barbara supported the organisation of events and managed the openTEL blog on behalf of the openTEL community. She enjoys promoting ed tech events and writing about them on different social networks.

More information : https://www.reseau-fun.help/hc/fr/articles/4975894093341
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