The Significance of Instructional Design: Analysis of Content in Language MOOC Forums

Language MOOC research has evolved over the last three years to a more mature stage in which researchers have gained a deeper comprehension of the theories that enable effective language learning in this format. The application of these theoretical advances should be reflected in the instructional design of the courses. This study is based on this premise and monitors the quality of the design of communication and discussion forums considering the different levels of engagement in a LMOOC, the accessibility, ease of navigation, assessment of learning processes, and support to participants in in the development of self-determination strategies. This is done by analysing the content of the forums and applying two instruments created upon the research needs. The results show the relevance of the instructional design of the forums in LMOOCs, and subsequently a suitable analytical framework is put forward, which can be easily replicated due to its simplicity and concreteness. This is the main contribution of this paper, since the elaboration of common analytical frameworks in LMOOC research strengthens the field and reinforces the significance of instructional design in successful language learning in these online courses.