Abstract:

The attraction of a MOOC draws many initial subscribers, but the drop off rate for the average MOOC is high, especially in the STEM areas. The STEM pipeline is leaky - it is intimidating to many learners, who fall out of that pipeline despite having the ability, because of self-doubt exacerbated by seeking identity within their cohort. Self confidence, combined with group identity, can benefit the completion rate if the student believes they are part of the group that is good at the STEM subject. Students may find improvements in courage and reduced anxiety in STEM when granted anonymity and a method of self-driven learning within a MOOC; bolstering their self-confidence and self-identity through writing exercises during the course can further lend to a higher participation rate when a course incorporates design thinking elements, in which students are encouraged to extend themselves to collaborative groups and problem-solve in ways that are human-centric and they are in an environment where a wrong answer is not judged. Examples are given that show where we used design thinking and where we used writing exercises in delivering STEM content to boost perseverance in a MOOC.

Keywords:

MOOC, STEM, Group Identity, Self-Confidence.