Literature review

Predictors of retention and completion

Existing research papers identifty the following predictors of retention and completion. Each will be considered in turn, following a caveat on the definition of 'Completion'.

  • Participation in automatically graded activities

This relates to (for example) short quizzes at the end of each unit of study.

  • Positive ratings by co-participants

This relates to rated activities such as forum posts.

  • Early engagement

This relates to the eventual success of participants who are active in the first week of a MOOC.

  • Participant and facilitator interaction

This relates to facilitator presence and the ongoing relationship between participants and facilitators.

Growth mindset

This relates to the effect participants' own perception of their intelligence might affect their ultimate result.