MOOC developed in Portuguese higher education: a descriptive study of the pedagogical models, functioning strategies, assessment mechanisms and success rates

Abstract

This article presents an analytical study of three Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) developed by Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions, between 2012 and 2015. The study focused on the identification of the pedagogical models, the operating strategies and the regulation and evaluation mechanisms used on their implementation. Following a qualitative methodological approach, data has collected through the application of an observation grid for online environments, organized in five categories: course organization, pedagogical perspective, technological perspective, economical perspective, and mechanisms for quality assurance. The main conclusions evidenced that the courses under analysis fully meet all the characteristics of this specific training offer- massive, open and fully online- and evidenced high completion rates when compared to the average of the international completion rates.