Adaptive online course design: Analysis of changes in student behaviour throughout the degree lifecycle

With the growth of the online higher education sector, educational institutions are increasingly creating asynchronous online courses resembling Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), characterised by reduced interpersonal interactions. While these courses offer higher flexibility for students, much remains unknown about how the design of these courses impacts student behaviour and performance. This study combines learning analytics and learning design (via Open University Learning Design Initiative (OULDI) taxonomy) to examine effective online course design elements in a 100 % online environment. Effectiveness is evaluated based on the impact of design elements on student engagement and performance. Student engagement patterns throughout the degree are also explored. Results show that while assimilative activities are those most frequently undertaken by students, they rank as fourth in impact on performance. Experiential, interactive/adaptive, and productive activities, though more impactful, are less common and constitute only a fraction of online course design activities. Students were also more likely to engage with videos as opposed to readings, indicating a preference for this type of content in the online learning environment. Furthermore, an inverse correlation was found between students attempting a range of activities, and the need to communicate with staff (i.e., asking for clarification/guidance). Results also identified six types of student engagement patterns, revealing a transition over time towards an assessment focus, where students self-optimise and prioritise assessment completion (over other content/activities). In an online environment, where introducing sequential/scaffolding activities may prove difficult, findings indicate that activities should be clearly linked to assessments to cater for student engagement patterns.