Cross-national comparison of gender differences in the enrollment in and completion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Massive Open Online Courses

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have the potential to democratize education by providing learners with access to high-quality free online courses. However, evidence supporting this democratization across countries is limited. We explored the question of MOOC democratization by conducting cross-n...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2018-09, Vol.13 (9), p.e0202463-e0202463
Main Authors: Jiang, Suhang, Schenke, Katerina, Eccles, Jacquelynne Sue, Xu, Di, Warschauer, Mark
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Performance - statistics & numerical data
Analysis
Biology and Life Sciences
CAI
Community colleges
Computer and Information Sciences
Computer assisted instruction
Developed Countries
Developing countries
Distance learning
Economic development
Economic summit conferences
Education, Distance - methods
Educational technology
Engineering
Engineering and Technology
Enrollments
Equality
Female
Females
Gender aspects
Gender differences
Gender equity
Higher education
Humans
Industrialized nations
Internet
LDCs
Male
Males
Mathematical analysis
Mathematics
Methods
Online education
Online instruction
Science Policy
Sex Characteristics
Sex differences
Sex discrimination
Social Sciences
STEM education
Stereotypes
Students - statistics & numerical data
Teacher education
Technology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have the potential to democratize education by providing learners with access to high-quality free online courses. However, evidence supporting this democratization across countries is limited. We explored the question of MOOC democratization by conducting cross-national comparisons of gender differences in the enrollment in and completion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) MOOCs. We found that while females were less likely than males to enroll in STEM MOOCs, they were equally likely to complete them. Further, a higher probability to enroll in STEM MOOCs and smaller gender gaps in STEM MOOC enrollment and completion were found in less gender-equal and less economically developed countries.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0202463