The use of gamification in a MOOC about energy: Effects and predictive models for participants' learning

Abstract

Open Access Education has significantly grown in strength as a new way of fostering innovation in schools. Such is the case of Massive Online Open-access Courses (MOOCs), which have the added benefit of encouraging the democratization of learning. In this sense, the Binational Laboratory Project for Intelligent Management of Energy Sustainability and Technological Training between Mexico and the USA was launched with the purpose of trying the MOOC technology and measuring its impact in the academic, business, and social sectors. Under this scenario, this study aims to show the relationship of using gamification and level of performance in a MOOC on energy topics. The methodology was quantitative, using the course analytical data for sociodemographic information and predictive models. A total of 6,246 participants enrolled in the MOOC and 1,060 finished it. The results showed that (a) higher completion rates of the gamified challenge are found among those between 26 to 50 years of age; (b) the higher academic degree, the more inclined participants were to solve the gamified challenge; (c) no such distinction exists by gender.