MOOCs and economic disadvantage: a path analysis of 3.5 million MITx learners

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2025.2471410

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) are offered by universities and companies to provide quality education to anyone, anyplace and at any time. The impact of economic disadvantage on these courses has not been fully explored despite several studies. This study aimed to investigate the impact of country’s income level on the success of 3,523,692 learners from 204 countries enrolled in 174 MITx MOOCs. The countries were classified as low- and lower-middle-income (L&LM) or high- and upper-middle-income (H&UM). A structural equation modelling with multigroup analysis conducted. The findings revealed that learners in the L&LM group performed better academically. Completion rates were 66% for L&LM and 25% for H&UM, and certification rates were 95% for L&LM and 99% for H&UM. This shows that L&LM learners may be more motivated because they believe MOOCs might help their careers. These results are essential for creating MOOCs that fit diverse learner demographics.