Psychometrics of MOOCs: Measuring Learners’ Proficiency
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) generate learners’ performance data that can be used to understand learners’ proficiency and to improve their efficiency. However, the approaches currently used, such as assessing the proportion of correct responses in assessments, are oversimplified and may lead...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ubiquity Press
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Psychologica Belgica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.psychologicabelgica.com/articles/515 |
| _version_ | 1818825952991379456 |
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| author | Dmitry Abbakumov Piet Desmet Wim Van den Noortgate |
| author_facet | Dmitry Abbakumov Piet Desmet Wim Van den Noortgate |
| author_sort | Dmitry Abbakumov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Massive open online courses (MOOCs) generate learners’ performance data that can be used to understand learners’ proficiency and to improve their efficiency. However, the approaches currently used, such as assessing the proportion of correct responses in assessments, are oversimplified and may lead to poor conclusions and decisions because they do not account for additional information on learner, content, and context. There is a need for theoretically grounded data-driven explainable educational measurement approaches for MOOCs. In this conceptual paper, we try to establish a connection between psychometrics, a scientific discipline concerned with techniques for educational and psychological measurement, and MOOCs. First, we describe general principles of traditional measurement of learners’ proficiency in education. Second, we discuss qualities of MOOCs which hamper direct application of approaches based on these general principles. Third, we discuss recent developments in measuring proficiency that may be relevant for analyzing MOOC data. Finally, we draw directions in psychometric modeling that might be interesting for future MOOC research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T00:19:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad5f9a5755c84e8b98774e7d21b7e197 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-670X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T00:19:57Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psychologica Belgica |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad5f9a5755c84e8b98774e7d21b7e1972022-12-21T20:45:35ZengUbiquity PressPsychologica Belgica2054-670X2020-05-0160110.5334/pb.515334Psychometrics of MOOCs: Measuring Learners’ ProficiencyDmitry Abbakumov0Piet Desmet1Wim Van den Noortgate2ITEC, IMEC research group at KU Leuven, Kortrijk; Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, BE; eLearning Office, National Research University Higher School of Economics, MoscowITEC, IMEC research group at KU Leuven, Kortrijk; Faculty of Arts, KU Leuven, LeuvenITEC, IMEC research group at KU Leuven, Kortrijk; Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, LeuvenMassive open online courses (MOOCs) generate learners’ performance data that can be used to understand learners’ proficiency and to improve their efficiency. However, the approaches currently used, such as assessing the proportion of correct responses in assessments, are oversimplified and may lead to poor conclusions and decisions because they do not account for additional information on learner, content, and context. There is a need for theoretically grounded data-driven explainable educational measurement approaches for MOOCs. In this conceptual paper, we try to establish a connection between psychometrics, a scientific discipline concerned with techniques for educational and psychological measurement, and MOOCs. First, we describe general principles of traditional measurement of learners’ proficiency in education. Second, we discuss qualities of MOOCs which hamper direct application of approaches based on these general principles. Third, we discuss recent developments in measuring proficiency that may be relevant for analyzing MOOC data. Finally, we draw directions in psychometric modeling that might be interesting for future MOOC research.https://www.psychologicabelgica.com/articles/515psychometricsitem response theorymassive open online courseslearning analytics |
| spellingShingle | Dmitry Abbakumov Piet Desmet Wim Van den Noortgate Psychometrics of MOOCs: Measuring Learners’ Proficiency Psychologica Belgica psychometrics item response theory massive open online courses learning analytics |
| title | Psychometrics of MOOCs: Measuring Learners’ Proficiency |
| title_full | Psychometrics of MOOCs: Measuring Learners’ Proficiency |
| title_fullStr | Psychometrics of MOOCs: Measuring Learners’ Proficiency |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychometrics of MOOCs: Measuring Learners’ Proficiency |
| title_short | Psychometrics of MOOCs: Measuring Learners’ Proficiency |
| title_sort | psychometrics of moocs measuring learners proficiency |
| topic | psychometrics item response theory massive open online courses learning analytics |
| url | https://www.psychologicabelgica.com/articles/515 |
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