Do Learning Patterns Differ by Gender in MOOCs? Exploring Gender-Based Differences Through Learning Analytics

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer rich opportunities for personal and professional development. Despite their importance, these courses face high dropout rates. The body of literature includes several studies that attempted to explore the causes of this issue. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the impact of learner characteristics on course completion and dropouts, especially in terms of gender differences. In response to this gap, this study aims to examine the gender differences in learning patterns in MOOCs. Data were collected from 324 MOOC learners using learning analytics data. Several statistical methods and tests were employed to explore gender differences in learning patterns in MOOCs. The results showed that the number of attempts required to pass an item significantly affected the overall course grade, with significant gender-based differences. In terms of the timing of the first attempt submission, the results indicated that gender differences were marginally significant (p=0.06), although women took longer than men. While the time of day significantly affected success rates, no significant gender differences were found. Moreover, a cluster analysis revealed three distinct profiles of MOOC learners. The results, including findings, cluster characteristics, and recommendations, were discussed in great detail.