An Experiment of Social-Gamification in Massive Open Online Courses: The ECO iMOOC

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) represent a disruptive new trend that has brought scalability and openness to non-formal education. In fact, MOOCs have the potential to widen participation in higher education, thus contributing to social inclusion, the dissemination of innovation and the internationalization of higher education institutions. These courses have three main properties: they are (a) scalable, because they are intended for several thousand participants; they are (b) open, since enrolment is free of charge and there are no admission barriers; and they are (c) online because participants use the Internet to access content, resources and assignments, as well as to interact with other participants (Saltzman, 2014; McAuley, et al., 2010).