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Abstract

This paper compares the achievements and learning experiences of onsite and online students participating in a Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) in China. Altogether 192 Chinese students learned face-to-face, and another 311 Chinese learners participated online. In regard to learning performance, onsite learners had a lower attrition rate than the online students. However, for learners who had completed all their learning assignments, no significant difference was detected between the onsite and online participants’ average assignment scores, and they were equally likely to win two of the learning awards. As to their learning experiences, there was also no significant difference between the online and onsite students’ ratings of technology quality and usability, instructional content, and the design of learning assessment. Students also reported the challenges that they had encountered and provided suggestions to improve their learning experiences. At the end of the paper, lessons learned from running the MOOC are discussed. Findings from this first empirical study on a Chinese MOOC informs researchers and practitioners interested in introducing MOOCs to Chinese students.

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