Methodology
MoocLab's League Table for Online Course Providers is designed to help prospective students make informed comparisons of Online Course Providers based on the 8 performance indicators listed below. Each of the 8 indicators carries a different weighting when calculating the overall scores (see below).
What are the indicators that we use?
Cost (Maximum score: 5 / Weight factor: 4)
The rating is based on the cost of courses using the following criteria:
1 = Over $300 per course
2 = $100 - $300 per course
3 = $30 - $99 per course
4 = Under $30 per course
5 = Free
Learning Support (Maximum score: 5 / Weight factor: 5)
The rating is based on the level of support provided to aid learning using the following criteria:
1 = None
2 = Minimal
3 = Peer Support
4 = Instructor Support
5 = 1-to-1 Mentoring
Community (Maximum score: 5 / Weight factor: 4)
The rating is based on the level of activity in the learning community discussion forums using the following criteria:
1 = No community
2 = Very little activity
3 = Some activity
4 = Active
5 = Very active
Pathways (Maximum score: 2 / Weight factor: 3)
The rating is based on the availability of learning pathways made up of a series of related courses for more in-depth study:
1 = None
2 = Yes
Assessment (Maximum score: 5 / Weight factor: 4)
The rating is based on the form of assessment provided using the following criteria:
1 = None
2 = Automated quizzes
3 = Peer review
4 = Instructor review
5 = Proctored exams
Accreditation (Maximum score: 5 / Weight factor: 5)
The rating is based on the availability of credentials based on the following criteria:
1 = None
2 = Progress Tracking
3 = Non-verified Certificates
4 = Verified Certificates
5 = College Credit
Interface Usability (Maximum score: 5 / Weight factor: 4)
The rating is based on the quality of the interface & ease of navigation around the website using the following criteria:
1 = Very poor
2 = Poor
3 = OK
4 = Good
5 = Excellent
Practicality (Maximum score: 5 / Weight factor: 5)
The rating is based on the how useful the learning outcomes are in real terms using the following criteria:
1 = No use at all
2 = Slightly useful
3 = Moderately useful
4 = Very useful
5 = Extremely useful
Overall Rating
Each indicator was weighted according to the perceived importance of the 8 indicators.
The overall rating is determined by the weighted average of all the scores.
Please note that the results of the 2017 Online Course Provider League Table should not be compared to those featured in the 2016 League table due to a change in the parameters used.
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