Understanding Instructors’ Motivations to Improve MOOC Sustainability

Abstract

The global success of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) makes its analysis crucial to guarantee the quality, engagement, and best results in their implementation. Much research has been dedicated to understanding learner’s experience and institutional results, but few papers have studied the instructor’s perspective, which is essential to making MOOC a sustainable endeavor. This study has examined the perceived motivation for participating in a MOOC initiative and the impact on their career development for 79 teachers involved in a university experience that has made more than 600 editions of 115 MOOCs with 4 million enrolments. The study aims to confirm and expand previous studies’ findings and consolidate the institutional strategy regarding the resources and dynamics of MOOCs. Main research findings indicate intrinsic motivation factors are essential for MOOC instructors, and the lack of official recognition can be a relevant factor affecting MOOCs’ long-time sustainability.