Research Article

Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs

Volume: 9 Number: 2 November 30, 2025
TR EN

Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the factors affecting course completion and certification among participants in the context of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Logistic regression analyses were conducted based on participants' demographic characteristics and learning interactions in the online course "Elements of Structures" offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The analyses revealed that variables such as graduate education level, age groups (especially ages 45 and above), number of days of interaction, number of video plays, number of chapters completed, and writing activity had significant effects on the likelihood of both course completion and certification. The contribution of written interaction and content completion to success was found to be particularly significant. Model performance was evaluated using ROC curves and AUC (Area Under the Curve). The AUC values of 0.80 and 0.92, respectively, demonstrated high classification accuracy. The findings reveal that logistic regression analysis is an effective tool in developing predictive models for predicting user success on MOOC platforms and offer strategic recommendations for personalized, interaction-oriented design of learning environments.

Keywords

Thanks

The data were used with permission from Prof. Dr. Kürşat ÇAĞILTAY of MIT. We are grateful to MITx for allowing us to obtain the MOOC data.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

November 18, 2025

Publication Date

November 30, 2025

Submission Date

October 20, 2025

Acceptance Date

November 12, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 9 Number: 2

APA
Orman, R., Çakır, H., & Çağıltay, N. (2025). Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies and Innovative Technologies, 9(2), 201-209. https://izlik.org/JA86GJ44YS
AMA
1.Orman R, Çakır H, Çağıltay N. Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs. IJMSIT. 2025;9(2):201-209. https://izlik.org/JA86GJ44YS
Chicago
Orman, Rukiye, Hasan Çakır, and Nergiz Çağıltay. 2025. “Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs”. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies and Innovative Technologies 9 (2): 201-9. https://izlik.org/JA86GJ44YS.
EndNote
Orman R, Çakır H, Çağıltay N (November 1, 2025) Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies and Innovative Technologies 9 2 201–209.
IEEE
[1]R. Orman, H. Çakır, and N. Çağıltay, “Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs”, IJMSIT, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 201–209, Nov. 2025, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA86GJ44YS
ISNAD
Orman, Rukiye - Çakır, Hasan - Çağıltay, Nergiz. “Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs”. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies and Innovative Technologies 9/2 (November 1, 2025): 201-209. https://izlik.org/JA86GJ44YS.
JAMA
1.Orman R, Çakır H, Çağıltay N. Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs. IJMSIT. 2025;9:201–209.
MLA
Orman, Rukiye, et al. “Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs”. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies and Innovative Technologies, vol. 9, no. 2, Nov. 2025, pp. 201-9, https://izlik.org/JA86GJ44YS.
Vancouver
1.Rukiye Orman, Hasan Çakır, Nergiz Çağıltay. Who Completes, Who Gets a Certificate? Digital Traces and Learning Outcomes in MOOCs. IJMSIT [Internet]. 2025 Nov. 1;9(2):201-9. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA86GJ44YS