From screens to streams: Can personalized MOOCs enhance drinking water operations? - A pilot study in ecuador

In Ecuador, only 4 out of 221 municipalities accredit a quality label for drinking water consumption. One of the causes affecting a low accreditation level is the deficiency of water treatment operators' technical skills, primarily due to limited access to fitting educational opportunities. To tackle this deficiency, we developed two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on physico-chemical water treatment in Ecuador, one highly personalized (MOOC++) and the other less personalized (MOOC+). The aim of this study is to implement an experimental design to assess the impact of personalization on learning performance and engagement in MOOC versions. We applied multivariate data analysis, multilevel models, and structural equation modeling using R (version 4.5.2). Overall, the results show the benefits of the higher degree of personalization regarding both engagement and performance of the trained professional. The results confirm the positive impact of investing in the personalization of MOOCs. Nevertheless, the findings also ask for further investigation into factors such as digital literacy, prior knowledge, and content type to optimize personalized learning for water operators.