Commentary On "Beyond Time-on-Task: The Relationship Between Spaced Study and Certification in MOOCs"

Authors

  • Zachary A Pardos University of California, Berkeley

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2015.22.6

Keywords:

MOOC, spacing effect, distributed practice, sessions, time on-site, theory, commentary, online education

Abstract

In Miyamoto et al. (2015, this issue) the authors looked to substantiate the presence of the spacing effect, referenced from the Psychology literature, in several MOOCs. Their secondary analyses constituted a robust, empirical finding on the correspondence between session distribution and certification but with only a coarse, analogous relationship to the theory of distributed practice. This article underscores the difficulty of validating theory and inferring causation from data produced in the wild but also the resultant rigor necessitated by this difficulty.

Author Biography

Zachary A Pardos, University of California, Berkeley

Gradate School of Education & School of Information

Assistant Professor

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Published

2015-12-07

How to Cite

Pardos, Z. A. (2015). Commentary On "Beyond Time-on-Task: The Relationship Between Spaced Study and Certification in MOOCs". Journal of Learning Analytics, 2(2), 70-74. https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2015.22.6

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2015): Learning Analytics and Learning Theory

Section

Special Section: Learning Analytics and Learning Theory

License

Copyright (c) 2015 Journal of Learning Analytics

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