Supporting Instructors in Collaborating with Researchers using MOOClets

Abstract: Most education and workplace learning takes place in classroom contexts far removed from laboratories or field sites with special arrangements for scientific research. But digital online resources provide a novel opportunity for large scale efforts to bridge the real world and laboratory settings which support data collection and randomized A/B experiments comparing different versions of content or interactions [2]. However, there are substantial technological and practical barriers in aligning instructors and researchers to use learning technologies like blended lessons/exercises & MOOCs as both a service for students and a realistic context to conduct research. This paper explains how the concept of a MOOClet can facilitate research-practitioner collaborations. MOOClets [3] are defined as modular components of a digital resource that can be implemented in technology to: (1) allow modification to create multiple versions, (2) allow experimental comparison and personalization of different versions, (3) reliably specify what data are collected. We suggest a framework in which instructors specify what kinds of changes to lessons, exercises, and emails they would be willing to adopt, and what data they will collect and make available. Researchers can then: (1) specify or design experiments that compare the effects of different versions on quantifiable outcomes. (2) Explore algorithms for maximizing particular outcomes by choosing alternative versions of a MOOClet based on the input variables available. We present a prototype survey tool for instructors intended to facilitate practitioner researcher matches and successful collaborations.