Exploring Chinese students’ learning experience in CIC MOOC 2.0– A study with Chinese online communities

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE) Volume 13 Issue 2 3-29-2021 Exploring Chinese students’ learning experience in CIC MOOC 2.0– A study with Chinese online communities Qing Zhang State University of New York at Oswego, Hengtao Tang University of South Carolina, Barbara B. Lockee Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Kathryn Jablokow The Pennsylvania State University, Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/jetde Part of the Instructional Media Design Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, and the Other Education Commons Recommended Citation Zhang, Qing; Tang, Hengtao; Lockee, Barbara B.; and Jablokow, Kathryn (2021) "Exploring Chinese students’ learning experience in CIC MOOC 2.0– A study with Chinese online communities," Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE): Vol. 13 : Iss. 2 , Article 2. DOI: 10.18785/jetde.1302.05 Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/jetde/vol13/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE) by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact . Zhang, Q., Tang, H., Lockee,B. B. & Jablokow, K.(2020). Exploring Chinese students’ learning experience in CIC MOOC 2.0– A study with Chinese online communities. Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange, 13(2), 21-38 Exploring Chinese students’ learning experience in CIC MOOC 2.0– A study with Chinese online communities Qing Zhang State University of New York at Oswego Hengtao Tang University of South Carolina Barbara B. Lockee Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Kathryn Jablokow The Pennsylvania State University Abstract: This research explores Chinese students’ learning experience in the Creativity, Innovation, and Change (CIC) Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) 2.0 from the cultural, language, and communication perspectives. The CIC MOOC was the first course offered in both English and Chinese in Coursera. Data in this study were collected via online survey, interviews, QQ chat logs, and discussion threads in Guokr platform. Content analysis was performed to identify key themes from the collected data. Findings reveal that differences exist in Eastern and Western societies regarding power distance, individualism versus collectivism, and masculinity versus femininity. Communication patterns also vary in QQ and Guokr online communities. In addition, Chinese students reported that translation helped them understand the course topics better, and the online interest group motivated them to participate in course activities and complete the course. The conclusions shed light on the design of future MOOCs, advocating for translating course content into different languages and building small online communities to meet learners’ needs and improve their learning experiences. Keywords: MOOC, translation, QQ, Guokr, Cultural differences Volume 13, No. 2, December, 2020 21 Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange 1. Introduction E-learning is growing fast with its unique features of openness, easy accessibility and affordability (Allen & Seaman, 2018; Johnson, Bates, Donovan, & Seaman, 2019). Learners can access online learning materials regardless of time and location. Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is an innovation in distance education (Siemens, 2013; Tang & Carr-Chellman, 2016). Many MOOCs are offered by prestigious universities to global audiences for free (Xing et al., 2019; Zhang et al., 2016). According to Guokr annual MOOC report (2014), most Chinese MOOC learners were below the age of 30 (12-30) from large cities and major school districts with advanced education systems. They also found that Chinese learners enjoyed learning from multimedia materials, such as short instructional videos (Tang & Wang, 2019). However, a majority of MOOCs are created in English (Kizilcec, Saltarelli, Reich, & Cohen, 2017; Sanchez-Gordon & Luján-Mora, 2014), and language barriers inhibit non-native English speakers from fully engaging in those courses (Chopra & Syazwani, 2020; Lin, Lee, & Chen, 2004; Liu, 2017; Sanchez-Gordon & Luján-Mora, 2014). Low English proficiency not only slows down non-native English speakers’ reading speed (Sanchez-Gordon & Luján-Mora, 2014), but also amplifies cultural issues in online courses (Ku & Lohr, 2003; Liu, Liu, Lee, & Magjuka, 2010; Tang, in press). The translation of MOOC content could remove the language barriers and reach a broader global audience with promoting cross-cultural learning (Ding et al., 2014). Although translating the course content into different languages could increase MOOC accessibility, Colas, Sloep, and Garreta-Domingo (2016) pointed out that translation is not enough to eliminate cultural issues. De Waard et al. (2014) and Welsh and 22 Dragusin (2013) also reported that MOOC learners face the challenge of understanding different cultures. International students have experienced marginalization and difficulty in interacting with others in online courses (Chen & Oakley, 2020; Liu et al., 2010), including MOOCs. Research has indicated that students from non-English speaking countries maintained low visibility and participation in MOOC discussion forums (Cho & Byun, 2017; Tahirsylaj, Mann, & Matson, 2018). Forming online learning communities based on learners’ preferences, such as language, has been utilized to mitigate cultural issues (Colas et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2016). An online community consists of learners who share the same interests or concerns and interact in an online environment (Phang, Kankanhalli, & Sabherwal, 2009). Social media platforms, such as blogs and Facebook, are used as learning spaces by various online communities, including non-English speaking groups (Mackness, Mak, & Williams, 2010). Learners participate in online communities to share and construct knowledge (Gannon-Leary & Fontainha, 2007; Phang et al., 2009; Tang et al., 2018). By interacting with other group members, learners could develop skills and solve problems quickly (Wenger & Snyder, 2000). Although research has been done to investigate Chinese students’ learning experiences in credit-bearing online courses (Dennen & Bong, 2018; Lin, Deng, Hu, & Tsai, 2019; Ma, 2017; Stork, Zhang, & Wang, 2018; Thompson & Ku, 2005; Zhao & McDougall, 2008), few studies examined Chinese students’ experiences in a MOOC. CIC MOOC is the first MOOC being translated entirely into Chinese. As such, this study investigated how translation might have helped Chinese learners complete the course, explored various tools that were used by students in their learning process, and Volume 13, No. 2, December, 2020 Exploring Chinese students’ learning experience in CIC MOOC 2.0 – A study with Chinese online communities. examined what happened (...truncated)