Chemistry Massive Open Online Course: Validity, reliability and undergraduate students’ perception

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is an online course offered for unlimited participation and open access through the Internet (Hervatta, 2016). It was introduced in 2008 by Dave Cormier to describe the 12-weeks online course titled Connectivism and Connective Knowledge developed by Siemens and Downes from the University of Manitoba, Canada (Holland & Tirthali, 2014). The MOOC aims to increase the level of networking between students and their communities, where students receive the same skills and knowledge at the end of the program (Mackness, Mak & Williams, 2010). This is in line with the lifelong learning needs, which are also continuous and voluntary learning in the pursuit of knowledge (Hamidon, 2014). Lifelong learning enhances social involvement and human development and is more resilient in competition and pursuit of employment.

MOOC can be divided into two types, namely cMOOC and xMOOC, with “c” representing connectivism and “x” representing exponential (Holland & Tirthali, 2014). cMOOC is based on the connectivist pedagogical model. The course materials in cMOOC are flexible, unspecified and are constantly evolving. Participants in cMOOC act as instructors and learners as they build and share practices, knowledge, and understanding. Learning is seen as generating and connecting networks that connect knowledge (Siemens, 2013). The advantages of cMOOCs are open, where students can continue their learning with less structured learning activities and thus provide more autonomy to students (Kop, Founier & Mak, 2011, Siemens, 2013). However, due to the openness of these cMOOCs, it also has a negative impact on students as cMOOC has caused some students to feel "lost" in the learning environment (Kop, 2011). Besides that, it has also caused students to become confused with the overwhelming learning resources available to them.

On the other hand, xMOOCs are based on the traditional university pedagogical model. A lecturer or tutor handles this xMOOC with predetermined learning objectives. The implementation of xMOOC is based on instructional video, assessment and discussion in the forum. xMOOC can block the learning process because instructors act as experts while learners are considered knowledge consumers (Siemens, 2013). xMOOC is developed in a closed platform that provides several structures for students' existing learning resources. Siemens (2013) noted that the learning process focuses on teachers while students duplicate the knowledge structure that was initially determined by course designers and instructors.

Community in MOOC communicates in either synchronous or asynchronous way (Hervatta, 2016). Synchronous communication occurs when all MOOC participants interact at the same time regardless of location. In contrast, asynchronous communication occurs when MOOC participants interact freely at different time and location. Synchronous communication occurs using live video conferencing and text chats in real-time. In contrast, asynchronous communication occurs in the forums through discussions, comments, votes, and peer evaluation.

Background of Study

Malaysia's Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are encouraged to globalize online learning as written in the ninth shift of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education). This shift aims to widen access to good quality content, enhance the quality of teaching and learning, lower the cost of delivery, and bring Malaysian expertise to the global community (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2015) and foster lifelong learning, especially among Malaysians. The proposed approach is through the offering of MOOC at each HEI in Malaysia.

MOOC is in line with the direction and goal of the Malaysia National e-Learning Policy (Dasar e-Pembelajaran Negara, DePAN), which was launched on 16 April 2011. DePAN is a policy developed specifically to support the National Higher Education Strategic Plan (Pelan Strategik Pengajian Tinggi Negara, PSPTN) to enhance and strengthen the quality of higher education in Malaysia so that higher education can be transformed and propelled to a level of excellence. Now, this policy has been updated as DePAN 2.0. The new policy focuses on promoting innovation in education, branding Malaysian education, bringing Malaysia's expertise and skills globally, reducing the cost of delivering and cultivating lifelong learning. DePAN 2.0 outlines six major domains (1) infrastructure and infostructure, (2) governance, (3) online pedagogy, (4) e-content, (5) professional development, and (6) acculturation (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2015). There are three phases in DePAN 2.0, namely, Phase 1 (2015), Phase 2 (2016-2020), and Phase 3 (2021-2025). In Phase 2, 50% of all courses offered in each HEI should be implemented in the form of blended learning. In addition, 10% e-assessment needs to be practised via blended learning, and each HEI needs to offer at least 15 courses in the form of MOOC. Phase 2 also targets 25% of all courses offered to have original e-content and 10% Open Course Ware (OCW).

OpenLearning is the platform for developing MOOC in Malaysia. To date, statistics in OpenLearning show that the number of MOOC registered by HEIs in Malaysia still does not hit the target of DePAN 2.0.

Objectives of Study

In order to help the university respond to the ninth shift of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education), a Chemistry MOOC has been developed in the OpenLearning platform. Besides achieving the ninth shift, this Chemistry MOOC also contributes to the vision, mission and objective of the DePAN 2.0 through the online pedagogy domain and e-content domain. This Chemistry MOOC can reach all focus areas in the online pedagogy domain, namely (a) blended learning, (b) Open Course Ware, and (c) e-assessment. Two of the focus areas in the e-Content domain can also be achieved through this study, namely (a) original e-content and (b) open e-content. Besides, the development of Chemistry MOOC contributed to the design and development studies, especially in online chemistry learning. This MOOC will spark the idea of educators, program developers and instructional designers to develop more similar MOOCs in various learning platforms. This paper highlights the validity and reliability of e-content and e-assessment module and students’ perceptions of the Chemistry MOOC in different constructs. The objectives of the study are to:

Evaluate the validity of e-content and e-assessment modules in the Chemistry MOOC.
Identify the reliability of e-content and e-assessment modules in the Chemistry MOOC.
Gauge the undergraduate students’ perceptions of the MOOC in the aspects of instructional design elements, the acceptance and usage barrier.