MOOCresearch2.0

This five-year Collective Research Initiative (ARC, 2019-2024) MOOCresearch2.0 project aimed to deepen our understanding of the dynamic process of social learning in open digital environments, through the analysis of discussion forums in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Bringing together education sciences, linguistics, communication, and management, this interdisciplinary project examined how learners appropriate essentially contested concepts, such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), democracy, and justice in contexts characterized by significant cultural and linguistic diversity, predominantly asynchronous communication, and written interaction often conducted in a non-native language.

The main objective was to understand how socio-cognitive conflicts emerge, how they are regulated, and how they can be pedagogically supported in MOOCs. A socio-cognitive conflict refers to a disagreement between individuals about a task or concept that creates a cognitive imbalance and prompts the restructuring of knowledge. When conflicts are regulated epistemically—that is, when exchanges remain focused on the task rather than on interpersonal relations—they become a powerful driver of learning. This mechanism lies at the heart of a social learning perspective, in which knowledge, attitudes, and skills develop through interaction, confrontation of viewpoints, and negotiation of meaning among peers.

Concepts that are inherently contested naturally encourage argumentation and constructive controversy. We hypothesized that MOOC forums, due to the diversity of learner profiles and the nature of the content covered, provided an ideal environment for observing the emergence of such conflicts and analyzing their effects on learning. The research program therefore sought to identify the pedagogical conditions, particularly in terms of course design and the formulation of instructional prompts, that promote the epistemic regulation of conflicts and maximize their educational value.

The research focused more specifically on the edX platform. Its technical architecture, characterized by a fixed interface and the inability to script or structure exchanges, was analyzed as a factor limiting pedagogical agency and the quality of interactions.

Over time, the project was structured around five cross-cutting research areas: (1) technological affordances and learner agency; (2) individual, cultural, and linguistic factors influencing participation and learning; (3) the conditions that support the learning of essentially contested concepts (CECs); (4) the impact of instructional design on the quality of social interactions; and (5) the development and testing of interventions aimed at strengthening learners’ argumentative skills. These areas informed one another, highlighting the richness and complexity of online learning dynamics in environments where societal issues and reflexivity play a central role.

See below for more info about the different sub-projects that constituted the MOOCresearch2.0 research programme.

1. Social interactions, socio-cognitive conflicts and learning

PI: Prof. Mariane Frenay (GIRSEF); PhD candidate: Dennis A. Rivera (2019-2023)

This subproject investigates how MOOC learners engage in socio-cognitive conflicts on MOOC discussion forums. It investigates how the MOOC discipline, the instructional context conditions, and the learners’ individual characteristics affect the way in which learners engage in these conflicts; This subproject seeks to develop in-depth understanding of the dynamic process of social learning in MOOCs and pinpoint the possible factors that may trigger the most fruitful socio-cognitive interactions.

2. Essentially contested concepts in social sciences: The case of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

PI: Prof. Valérie Swaen (LOURIM); PhD candidate: Pauline de Montpellier d'Annevoie (2019-2025)

This subproject investigates the preconceptions and understandings that MOOC learners have about Essentially Contested Concepts (ECCs) theough the case of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It studies how these preconceptions vary with learners’ individual profiles (e.g., socio-demographics, values, experience), and geographical origins. It explores how different pedagogical and communication mechanisms can stimulate content-related debate and facilitate learning about scientific ECCs.

3. The communicative constitution of controversial debates

PI: Prof. François Lambotte (Social Media Lab); Postdoc researcher: Dr. Jan Zienkowski (2019-2021)

This subproject delves into the rhetoric of controversies to explore how controversial debates unfold. It considers the relational, sequential and longitudinal construction of stances to analyze typical utterances of controversial debates (e.g., proof, refutation, politeness) and examine how these utterances are triggered, stabilize, transform and close.

4. Foreign language proficiency and learner experience in English-taught MOOCs

PI: Prof. Magali Paquot, Centre for English Corpus Linguistics (CECL); Postdoctoral researchers: Tanguy Dubois (2023-2024) & Pauline Jadoulle (2024-2025)

This project investigates the role of English language proficiency in shaping non-native speakers’ motivations, attitudes, challenges, and learning outcomes in English-medium MOOCs. Bringing together survey data and interaction log data from thousands of learners, the project sheds light on how proficiency differences influence learners’ experiences and contribute to inequalities in access and performance. The findings highlight the importance of moving beyond the common practice of treating “non-native speakers” as a single, homogeneous group and instead considering the diverse profiles and needs of learners across proficiency levels.

5. Argumentation and learning

PIs: Prof. Magali Paquot (CECL) & Prof. Mariane Frenay (GIRSEF); Postdoc researcher: Dr. Kenzo Nera (2022-2023)

This subproject investigates how argumentation skills affects the quality of interactions on MOOC discussion forums, as well as learning. Specifically, the goal of the subproject is to develop interventions aimed at teaching MOOC learners basics of argumentation knowledge and skills, and to test the efficacy of these interventions. Doing so, the subproject seeks to identify the specificities of MOOC platforms when it comes to the design, implementation, and assessment of argumentation-based interventions.

Contact Person:

Dr. Magali Paquot, project spokesperson

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