Self-Regulated Learning in Massive Open Online Courses

This three-article dissertation aims to examine self-regulated learning (SRL) in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) through the conduct of a systematic literature review and two empirical studies. The first article is a systematic literature review study that investigates the current status of studies on SRL in MOOCs, SRL strategies employed by MOOC learners, and interventions and design guidelines that have been proposed to support SRL in MOOC environments. The second article is a quantitative study that examines the relationships between the use of SRL strategies, self-efficacy, and task value in MOOCs. This research notes that there is a positive relationship between the use of SRL strategies and self-efficacy as well as that between the use of SRL strategies and task value in MOOCs. The third article is a quantitative study that investigates the influence of successful MOOC learners’ SRL strategies, self-efficacy, and task value on their perceived effectiveness of one particular MOOC. The results show that successful MOOC learners’ perceived effectiveness of the MOOC is significantly predicted by their task value belief and use of SRL strategies. The findings of these three articles provide empirical evidence of the importance of SRL in MOOCs as well as a variety of practical implications for MOOC instructors and instructional designers.