by Hannah Fearn, the Guardian
A University of London study tracked four new Mooc courses launched with the US-based provider Coursera in autumn 2013, each lasting six weeks and designed as an introduction to a particular subject. It found that more men than women studied for Moocs – with a male to female gender ratio of 64:36, while the majority of students (22%) lived in the United States. India accounted for the second biggest proportion of students, with just 6% of participants. The UK came third, making up 5% of candidates. Importantly, 70% of the enrolled students already held a degree, while more than a third (35%) were already enrolled with another education provider. The data suggests that a typical Mooc student is a well-educated man in his mid-thirties, living and working full time in a developed or Bric (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) country, and using the course to improve their professional or personal knowledge. The developing economies are not getting a look in.
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/19/moocs-online-universities-recruit-students
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