University Students' Levels of Motivation and Engagement, Perceived Benefits, and Challenges in MOOCs

Sep 10, 2026

Uploaded by Skyler

The study examines university students’ motivation and engagement in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), along with perceived benefits and challenges. Using a mixed-methods design, it involves 61 third- and fourth-year English language students who completed a Content-based Instruction (CBI) MOOC. Motivation and engagement were measured with the validated MOOC Learner Engagement and Motivation Scale (MEM Scale), supported by a focus group discussion. Results show upper-medium motivation and high engagement, five perceived benefits, and five experienced challenges, highlighting the value of open online courses and the need to reduce barriers through extended participant resources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Study focus and approach

Results

Motivation and engagement

Perceived benefits

Challenges

Implications

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attr ibut ion-NonCommerc ia l-ShareAlike 4 .0 Internationa l ( CC BY-NC-SA 4 .0 ) l icense . University Students’Levels of Motivation and Engagement, Perceived Benefits, and Challenges in MOOCS1 Andrea Nicole Cabanlit2 & Mee Jay Domingo3, Mariano Marcos State University, Batac, Ilocos Norte, Philippines Abstract The study identified university students’ levels of motivation and engagement, perceived benefits, and challenges in Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) . It used the mixed-method research design and involved third-and fourth-year English language students (n = 61) who completed the Content-based Instruction (CBI)– MOOC offered by the Regional English Language Office, Manila, Philippines. The validated MOOC Learner Engagement and Motivation Scale (MEM Scale) was adopted to determine the learners' levels of motivation and engagement in MOOCs. A focus group discussion was also done to determine the students’ perceived benefits of and challenges in MOOCs. Results of the MEM Scale show that the students had upper-medium level of motivation (x! = 3.54) and a high level of engagement (x! = 4.22) in the CBI – MOOC. Also, the data revealed five perceived benefits of MOOCs: 1) appreciation of the self-paced learning; 2) complementation to formal learning ; 3) international certification ; 4) provision of professional development opportunities ; and 5) attainment of intercultural competencies. Generally, the students experienced five challenges while enrolled in the course: 1) language barriers ; 2) lack of social interaction ; 3) digital divide ; 4) time-related constraints ; and 5) challenging course content. Given the benefits of MOOCs, higher education institutions (HEIs) are encouraged to incorporate open online courses in the learning experiences of their students. Further, it is recommended that HEIs extend available resources to participants to lessen the perceived challenges of MOOCs which could promote higher levels of motivation and engagement of the students in the courses. Resumen El estudio identificó los niveles de motivación y compromiso de los estudiantes universitarios, los beneficios percibidos y los desafíos en los cursos masivos abiertos en línea (MOOC) . Utilizó el diseño de investigación de método mixto einvolucró a estudiantes de inglés de tercer y cuarto año (n = 61) que completaron la instrucción basada en contenido (CBI) -MOOC ofrecido por la Oficina Regional de Idioma Inglés, Manila, Filipinas. La Escala de Motivación y Compromisode Estudiantes de MOOC validada (Escala MEM) se adoptó para determinar los niveles de motivación y compromiso delos estudiantes en los MOOC. También se realizó una discusión de grupo de enfoque para determinar los beneficios ydesafíos percibidos por los estudiantes en los MOOC. Los resultados de la Escala MEM muestran que los estudiantes tenían un nivel medio-alto de motivación (x! = 3,54) y un alto nivel de compromiso (x! = 4,22) en el CBI - MOOC. Además, los datos revelaron cinco beneficios percibidos de los MOOC: 1) apreciación del aprendizaje a su propio ritmo; 2) complementación al aprendizaje formal; 3) certificación internacional; 4) provisión de oportunidades de desarrollo profesional; y 5) adquisición de competencias interculturales. En general, los estudiantes experimentaron cinco desafíos mientras estaban inscritos en el curso: 1) barreras lingüísticas; 2) falta de interacción social; 3) brecha digital; 4) limitaciones relacionadas con el tiempo; y 5) contenido desafiante del curso. Dados los beneficios de los MOOC, se alienta a las instituciones de educación superior (IES) a incorporar cursos abiertos en línea en las experiencias deaprendizaje de sus estudiantes. Además, se recomienda que las IES extiendan los recursos disponibles a los participantes para reducir los desafíos percibidos de los MOOC, lo que podría promover mayores niveles de motivacióny compromiso de

FAQs

What research methods were used to study students’ MOOC motivation and engagement?

The study used a mixed-method research design, combining the MEM Scale for quantitative measurement with a focus group discussion for students’ perceived benefits and challenges.

What did the MEM Scale indicate about students’ motivation and engagement?

Students showed an upper-medium level of motivation and a high level of engagement in the CBI–MOOC.

What benefits and challenges did students report in the MOOC experience?

Students perceived five benefits, including appreciation of self-paced learning and intercultural competencies, while they experienced five challenges such as language barriers, lack of social interaction, and digital divide.

Sep 10, 2026

Uploaded by Skyler