Automatic group formation in a MOOC based on students' activity criteria

Abstract

Although there is significant evidence regarding benefits of small group collaboration in small-scale contexts, several challenges have been about use of collaborative learning in MOOCs. Group formation, which crucial activity in order to achieve effective collaboration, is scarcely covered in MOOC platforms, which do not allow the formation teams using criteria defined by the instructors. This paper presents exploratory study conducted in a seven-week MOOC, comparing group formation proposal, based on students’ activity criteria, to a baseline grouping function provided by the platform. We analyse the impact of each grouping approach over group performance, group activity, and student satisfaction. The results show initial evidence about the advantages of using the criteria-based formation approach regarding student satisfaction and group interactions