This paper aims to illustrate how the course concept for the E-Tutoring@UIBK lecture successfully utilizes the MekoMOOC, a Massive Open Online Course that has been available on the Austrian MOOC platform iMooX since October 1st 2019. More than five years later, the MekoMOOC serves as a vehicle for metacognitive analysis and critical reflection as well as a content pool to introduce students to a variety of media topics. E-Tutoring@UIBK was started with the objective of providing prospective teaching assistants and e-tutors with digital as well as didactic skills and competencies to effectively navigate the digital media landscape of the University of Innsbruck. For this purpose, the course integrates the timeless MOOC contents into its sessions at various points throughout the lecture. The students are tasked to reflect on the structure and didactic purpose of the MOOC's content structure and critically analyze its media composition in order to attain an improved understanding of how to design higher education courses themselves. Finally, the students are asked to produce a tutorial video on a subject matter of their choice. In doing so, students utilize skills and technical knowledge gained through the theoretical and practical aspects of the lecture as well as the MOOC.
This research aims to develop and evaluate the performance of a Generative AI-powered learning support chatbot for the Thai MOOC platform using Microsoft Copilot Studio. The primary objectives are to enhance online learning experiences and improve support services for both students and educational staff. The chatbot was meticulously designed to provide comprehensive online learning guidance, recommend courses tailored to learners' profiles and diverse academic interests, and manage an automated issue-reporting system that ensures efficient problem resolution while maintaining high service quality standards. The development used data from over 750 courses on the Thai MOOC platform, employing course metadata (titles, descriptions, objectives) as training material for the chatbot's recommendation capabilities. Researchers also used system manuals and historical conversation logs to train the chatbot for contextually appropriate guidance and issue resolution. This approach ensured the chatbot effectively addressed learner inquiries. The study involved a trial with 30 volunteer learners who completed postusage surveys, alongside in-depth interviews with five Thai MOOC staff members. Quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed exceptionally high satisfaction levels among both groups. Learners reported a mean satisfaction score of 4.5 (SD = 0.59), citing the chatbot's 24/7 availability, instant response capabilities, and precise course recommendations aligned with their academic backgrounds and interests as key strengths. The system demonstrated remarkable accuracy in interpreting user queries, delivering relevant course suggestions, and autonomously logging, categorizing, and escalating issues to relevant teams for swift resolution. All interactions were comprehensively documented for quality assurance purposes. For staff, the chatbot significantly reduced response times and workload by automating routine tasks. However, concerns were raised about longterm maintenance, needing periodic data updates and managing potential scaling challenges. Staff emphasized the importance of establishing clear protocols for updating course information and retraining the chatbot to accommodate platform expansions. This study underscores Generative AI's potential in developing scalable, efficient online learning support systems like for Thai MOOC. Such tools enrich learner experiences and provide actionable insights for advancing educational technologies. Future iterations could include cross-platform recommendations, enhanced self-repair manuals, and automated email notifications for issue updates, addressing learner feedback.
This study explores the experiences of pre- and in-service teachers using AI chatbots in Pedagogical Information and Communication Technology (ICTPED) Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), an online course designed to develop professional digital competence. Data was collected through an online questionnaire completed by 46 participants and follow-up interviews with eight students. The findings reveal that 52.2% of participants used chatbots to support their learning, while 47.8% did not. Participants primarily used chatbots to clarify course content, generate learning materials, and explore curriculum-related topics. Many students found chatbots to be valuable for developing conceptual understanding, providing instant feedback, and serving as brainstorming partners. Motivation for chatbot use included curiosity, ease of communication, and trust in the tool's feedback. Despite the reported benefits, some participants expressed concerns regarding the accuracy and reliability of chatbot-generated content. The study contributes to the growing body of research on AI in education by highlighting how chatbots can facilitate personalized learning experiences and self-regulated learning in online teacher education. Further research is needed to address challenges related to chatbot accuracy, over-reliance, and ethical considerations.
One of the promises of MOOC platforms that were widely discussed during the first two waves of MOOC popularity in 2010–2016 was its marketing potential for international student recruitment. However, the research on the effects of MOOC on international enrolment is currently scarce. Based on the data from Coursera and edX platforms for MOOC supply information, and Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE Ranking) for national and international students’ statistics, this research aims to explore whether the MOOC supply is positively associated with international students enrolment. Results of regression modelling reveal that, considering the whole sample and all other factors being equal, there is no significant association between the number of MOOCs university supplies and the percentage of international students at this university. However, the second model, which includes interaction term, and thus divides the overall effect of MOOCs by different countries, demonstrates that for some countries such an association does appear. These countries are the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and Russia. For all four countries the detected effect is positive. Finally, the study presents MOOC description page content analysis to define the elements that might promote the university enrolment and push the MOOC learners through the Marketing Funnel from Awareness and Interest to Desire and Action. This paper might be of interest for the university international affairs and student recruitment deputies, to benefit from MOOC supply the university has, or vice versa for the online learning department managers to contribute to the university key performance indicators improvement designing and redesigning online courses for the international audience.
Producing and delivering MOOCs within European university alliances presents technical, organizational, and licensing challenges, particularly regarding multilingual accessibility, interoperability, and platform integration. This paper examines these challenges through a case study of the "Open Educational Resources in Higher Education" MOOC, developed with all partner institutions of the Unite! university alliance. The course was produced in all official alliance languages and used AI-driven tools (HeyGen) to generate multilingual instructor avatars for efficient localization. A key aspect of this MOOC was its open licensing approach. By adopting a Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0) license, the course materials were designed for reuse and dissemination across different educational contexts. To ensure broad accessibility, the MOOC was made available on the Austrian national MOOC platform iMooX.at and embedded within Unite! Metacampus, the alliance's federated LMS. For this, Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) for cross-platform interactions was used. Through LTI, course activities and materials on iMooX.at were linked to Metacampus, allowing users to access materials, track progress, and interact within a unified learning environment. This strategy supported federated access and engagement across institutional systems. This paper outlines the technical and organizational strategies used in developing the MOOC, discussing key challenges and providing recommendations for openly licensed, AI-supported, and LTI-integrated MOOCs within European university alliances. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of structuring cross-institutional MOOCs that are pedagogically, technologically, and organizationally sustainable while advancing open education principles in higher education.
