Evaluating the growth trends of MOOCs content on YouTube: a Google Trends and sentiment analysis

Purpose The study aims to evaluate the growth and trends of YouTube’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) content, leveraging Google Trends (GT) data and sentiment analysis. It investigates patterns in content creation, public interest and engagement metrics, providing a comprehensive understanding of MOOCs’ evolving role in digital education. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a mixed-methods approach, extracting data from YouTube and GTs. The data set comprised 1,319 MOOC-related YouTube videos and 16,386 comments, collected using Webometric Analyst. The obtained data were cleaned and preprocessed using SpaCy, and sentiment analysis was conducted using NLTK, TextBlob and VADER Python-based tools. The study also examines keyword usage patterns, video engagement metrics (views, likes, comments) and top contributing channels to analyse MOOC content dynamics and user interactions. Findings The study reveals a significant increase in MOOC-related content and public interest during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the role of MOOCs as a vital educational resource during crises. Post-pandemic, the growth and engagement trends have stabilised, highlighting MOOCs’ lasting relevance. Practical, actionable content generates the highest user interaction, while niche scientific content engages a more passive audience. Sentiment analysis indicates predominantly neutral comments, reflecting factual inquiries, with 16.7% positive and only 2.3% negative sentiments, suggesting an overall favourable reception. Originality/value This research fills a critical gap in understanding MOOCs’ integration with YouTube, focusing on growth trends, engagement metrics and sentiment analysis. By combining GTs data with YouTube analytics, the study offers unique insights into the intersection of digital platforms and online education.