What makes MOOC users persist in completing MOOCs? A perspective from network externalities and human factors

This study investigated how network externalities affect users' persistence in completing massive online open courses (MOOCs) through the mediation of human factors. 346 students from a public university were recruited into the study. The data were collected using a survey and analyzed by partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that users' persistence in completing MOOCs was a function of network benefit, user preference, and motivation to achieve. Network benefit, which was strongly predicted by network size (direct network externalities) and perceived complementarity (indirectly network externalities), also indirectly influenced users' persistence in completing MOOCs through user preference and motivation to achieve. Furthermore, this study found that the duration of MOOC usage made a significant difference in the effect of network externalities on users' persistence in completing MOOCs. For instance, user preference had a stronger influence on users' persistence in completing MOOCs for one-year users than above-one-year users, while motivation to achieve in MOOCs had a stronger effect on users' persistence in completing MOOCs for above-one-year users than one-year users. This study could benefit MOOC providers and researchers seeking to improve the retention and completion rates of MOOCs.