Driving STEM learning effectiveness: dropout prediction and intervention in MOOCs based on one novel behavioral data analysis approach

With the full application of MOOCs online learning, STEM multidisciplinary and knowledge structures have been achieved, but it has also resulted in a massive number of dropouts, seriously affected the learning sustainability of STEM education concepts, and made it difficult to achieve learning effectiveness. Based on the massive STEM learning behavior instances generated by MOOCs, as well as the entire learning periods, this study considers some key explicit and implicit features associated with learning behavior, and achieves the fusion of convolutional neural network and recurrent neural network through data-driven approaches, incorporates long short-term memory mechanism to develop dropout prediction methods and models. Based on the experimental results, we also discuss the relevant problems of dropouts related to STEM learning behavior, explore the key dropout temporal sequences of the learning process, identify related factors that have key impacts on learning behavior, and deduce intervention measures and early warning suggestions. The entire study can provide effective methods and decisions for researching the STEM learning behavior of MOOCs and has strong research feasibility and urgency.

Xiaona Xia, Wanxue Qi