highlighting the purpose of the tools (e.g., skill-building) and stating clearly that the learners can choose their preferred tools
Although formal attendance seemed to be the main driver for completing assignments and the course, the main reason for not completing the course was a lack of time
Learners, in the absence of a stronger motivation, attend only partially
students attend the course without expecting a certificate
Furthermore, a “hand-made” or “hacked” certificate issued by the instructor (not by the institution) (Young, 2008) only partially affects the motivation to finish the course:
comments confirm the need for increased attention to usability since users do not want to deal with confusing interfaces
The Technological Dimension of a Massive Open Online Course: The Case of the CCK08 Course Tools
Problematic study of CCK08 -- sample size was way too small, would have been more interesting to examine ways in which instructor choices of tools influenced student tool use -- choices are exclusive, so can't put "confusing" and "overwhelming" at the same time.