EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF LEARNERS’ DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ON COURSE COMPLETION AND DROPOUT IN MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSES

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have the potential to change education by offering high-quality online courses in a variety of disciplines. However, just a few studies have investigated the impact of MOOC students' demographics on their completion rates. In this research, we investigate the impact of demographic features of learners in the completion and dropping rate of MOOCs. The data from a survey is used in this study to determine which learner demographic features may have an impact on MOOC completion and dropout. The data was analyzed using Chi-square test. The findings demonstrate that four factors, including gender, marital status, age, and educational level, have no impact on degree of MOOC completion. It was also discovered that marital status, age, and educational level, have no effect on MOOC dropout. However, we discovered a statistically significant link between gender and MOOC dropout (χ2 = 6.347, df = 1, p = 0.012). These results can be considered in future instructional initiatives.