Understanding Learners’ Perception of MOOCs Based on Review Data Analysis Using Deep Learning and Sentiment Analysis

Xieling Chen, Fu Lee Wang, Gary Cheng, Man Kong Chow, Haoran Xie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have exploded in popularity; course reviews are important sources for exploring learners’ perceptions about different factors associated with course design and implementation. This study aims to investigate the possibility of automatic classification for the semantic content of MOOC course reviews to understand factors that can predict learners’ satisfaction and their perceptions of these factors. To do this, this study employs a quantitative research methodology based on sentiment analysis and deep learning. Learners’ review data from Class Central are analyzed to automatically identify the key factors related to course design and implementation and the learners’ perceptions of these factors. A total of 186,738 review sentences associated with 13 subject areas are analyzed, and consequently, seven course factors that learners frequently mentioned are found. These factors include: “Platforms and tools”, “Course quality”, “Learning resources”, “Instructor”, “Relationship”, “Process”, and “Assessment”. Subsequently, each factor is assigned a sentimental value using lexicon-driven methodologies, and the topics that can influence learners’ learning experiences the most are decided. In addition, learners’ perceptions across different topics and subjects are explored and discussed. The findings of this study contribute to helping MOOC instructors in tailoring course design and implementation to bring more satisfactory learning experiences for learners.

Original languageEnglish
Article number218
JournalFuture Internet
Volume14
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2022

Keywords

  • MOOCs
  • deep learning
  • learners’ perceptions
  • review data analysis
  • sentiment analysis

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