Online learning completion rates in context: Rethinking success in digital learning networks by Reda Sadki

The comprehensive analysis of 221 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) by Katy Jordan provides crucial insights for health professionals navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of digital learning. Her study, published in the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, examined completion rates across diverse platforms including Coursera, Open2Study, and others from 78 institutions.

With median completion rates of just 12.6% (ranging from 0.7% to 52.1%), traditional metrics may suggest disappointment. Jordan’s multiple regression analysis revealed that while total enrollments have decreased over time, completion rates have actually increased.
The data showed striking patterns in how participants engage, with the first and second weeks proving critical—after which the proportion of active students and those submitting assessments remains remarkably stable, with less than 3% difference between them.
The research challenges common assumptions about “lurking” as a participation strategy and provides compelling evidence that course design factors significantly impact learning outcomes.

These findings reveal important patterns that can transform how we approach professional learning in global health contexts.

Beyond traditional completion metrics

For global health epidemiologists accustomed to face-to-face training with financial incentives and dedicated time away from work, these completion rates might initially appear appalling. In traditional capacity building programswhere participants receive per diems, travel stipends, and paid time away from work. Outcomes such as “completion” are rarely measured. Instead, attendance remains the key metric. In fact, completion rates are often confused with attendance. From this perspective, even the highest MOOC completion rate of 52.1% could be interpreted as a dismal failure.

However, this interpretation fundamentally misunderstands the different dynamics at play in digital learning environments. Unlike traditional training where external incentives and protected time create artificial conditions for participation, MOOCs operate in the reality of participants’ everyday professional lives. They typically do not require participants to stop work in order to learn, for example. The fact that up to half of enrollees in some courses complete them despite competing priorities, no financial incentives, and no dedicated work time represents remarkable commitment rather than failure.

What drives completion?

The data reveals three significant factors affecting completion:

Course length: Shorter courses consistently achieved higher completion rates
Assessment type: Auto-grading showed better completion than peer assessment
Start date: More recent courses demonstrated higher completion rates

The critical engagement period occurs within the first two weeks—after which participant behavior stabilizes. This insight aligns with what emerging networked learning approaches have demonstrated in practice.

Rather than judging digital learning by metrics designed for classroom settings, we must recognize that participation patterns reflect authentic integration with professional practice. The measure of success is not just how many complete the formal course, but how learning connects to real-world problem-solving and contributes to sustained professional networks.

Moving beyond MOOCs: Health learning networks

The Geneva Learning Foundation’s approach offers a distinctly different model from traditional MOOCs. While MOOCs typically deliver standardized content to individual learners who progress independently, the Foundation’s digital learning initiatives are fundamentally network-based and practice-oriented. Rather than focusing on content consumption, their approach creates structured environments where health professionals connect, collaborate, and co-create knowledge while addressing real challenges in their work.

These learning networks differ from MOOCs in several key ways:

Participants engage primarily with peers rather than pre-recorded content
Learning is organized around actual workplace challenges rather than abstract concepts
The experience builds sustainable professional relationships rather than one-time course completion
Assessment occurs through peer review and real-world application rather than quizzes or assignments
Structure is provided through facilitation and process rather than predetermined pathways

The Foundation’s experience with over 60,000 health professionals across 137 countries demonstrates that when learning is connected to practice through networked approaches, different metrics of success emerge:

Knowledge application: Practitioners implement solutions directly in their contexts
Network formation: Sustainable learning relationships develop beyond formal “courses”
Knowledge creation: Participants contribute to collective understanding
System impact: Changes cascade through health systems

Implications for global health training

For epidemiologists and health professionals designing learning initiatives, these findings suggest several strategic shifts:

Modular design: Create shorter, more connected learning units rather than lengthy courses
Real-world integration: Link learning directly to participants’ practice contexts
Peer engagement: Provide structured opportunities for health workers to learn from each other
Network building: Focus on creating sustainable learning communities rather than isolated training events

The future of professional learning

The research and practice point to a fundamental evolution in how we approach professional learning in global health. Rather than replicating traditional per diem-driven training models online, the most effective approaches harness the power of networks, enabling health professionals to learn continuously through structured peer interaction.

This perspective helps explain why seemingly low completion rates should not necessarily be viewed as failure. When digital learning is designed to create lasting networks of practice—where knowledge emerges through collaborative action—completion metrics capture only a fraction of the impact.

For health systems facing complex challenges that include climate change, pandemic response, and health workforce shortages, this networked approach to learning offers a promising path forward—one that transforms how knowledge is created, shared, and applied to improve health outcomes globally.

Reference

Jordan, K., 2015. Massive open online course completion rates revisited: Assessment, length and attrition. IRRODL 16. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i3.2112