Supporting peer interactions in a MOOC: Utilizing social networking tools to personalize learning

This paper reports on the utilization of an online communitynet-working platform designed to deliver a MOOC. The customized Elgg social software platform, implemented as the Curtin Learning Commons, was developed with social networking tools organized to support personalized learning. The MOOC, titled Participating in the Digital Age (PDA), engaged students in activities that used a variety of social media tools to access the educational content and experiences. This connectivist MOOC or cMOOC provided conceptual understandings and opportunities to participate in tasks exemplifying the topic. The study presents evidence that using these kinds of community software platforms to deliver a MOOC can provide higher education learners with personalized active learning opportunities. Further research on providing scaffolded support to enable learners to capitalize on additional aspects of networked learning such platforms would advance this use.