title: Relationship between participants' level of education and engagement in their completion of the Understanding Dementia Massive Open Online Course.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The completion rates for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) generally are low (5-10%) and have been reported to favour participants with higher (typically tertiary-level) education. Despite these factors, the flexible learning offered by a MOOC has the potential to provide an accessible educational environment for a broad spectrum of participants. In this regard, the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre has developed a MOOC on dementia that is evidence-based and intended to address this emerging major global public health issue by providing educational resources to a broad range of caregivers, people with dementia, and health care professionals.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Understanding Dementia MOOC was designed specifically to appeal to, and support, adult learners with a limited educational background. The nine-week course was presented in three units. Participants passed a quiz at the end of each unit to continue through the course. A series of discussion boards facilitated peer-to-peer interactions. A separate "Ask an Expert" discussion board also was established for each unit where participants posted questions and faculty with expertise in the area responded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost 10,000 people from 65 countries registered; 4,409 registrants engaged in the discussion boards, and 3,624 (38%) completed the course. Participants' level of education ranged from postgraduate study to a primary (elementary) school education. Participants without a university education (vocational certificate and below) were as likely as those with a university education to complete the course (χ(2) = 2.35, df = 6, p = 0.88) and to engage in the online discussions (F[6, 3799] = 0.85, p = 0.54). Further, participants who completed the MOOC engaged in significantly more discussion board posts than participants who did not complete the course (t = 39.60, df = 4407, p <0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high completion rate and level of engagement of participants across a broad spectrum of levels of education suggest that MOOCs can be successfully developed and delivered to students from diverse educational backgrounds. The high participation rate also highlights the combination of MOOC design as well as the scale of unmet need for quality dementia education.
authors.affiliation: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, School of Medicine/Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 143, 7001, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Lyn.Goldberg@utas.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lynette R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.affiliation: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, School of Medicine/Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 143, 7001, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Lyn.Goldberg@utas.edu.au.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 34, 7001, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Carolyn.King@utas.edu.au.
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, School of Medicine/Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 143, 7001, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Ciaran.OMara@utas.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ciaran
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Mara
authors.affiliation: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, School of Medicine/Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 143, 7001, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Fran.McInerney@utas.edu.au.
authors.forename: Fran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: McInerney
authors.affiliation: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, School of Medicine/Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 143, 7001, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. andrew.robinson@utas.edu.au.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, School of Medicine/Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 143, 7001, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. james.vickers@utas.edu.au.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vickers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001315:Australia; D003704:Dementia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D020375:Education, Distance / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004517:Education, Professional / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D018570:Risk Assessment