Research

Today, Coursera released the results of a first-ever survey of course completers on Coursera and their self-reported learning outcomes. Researchers at

Increasing skepticism of the value of 4-year college degrees and interest in faster, more affordable educational pathways have fueled growth in nondegree credentials, including…

As technology continues to advance rapidly, the labor market exhibits a growing need for more frequent and ongoing skill development. At the same time, employers in many fields encounter difficulties finding adequately trained workers to meet their needs. According to data released by the U.S.

The Noncredit Research Collaborative combines top researchers to share and publish research on noncredit opportunities in higher education.

Multi-State Data Collaboratives are coalitions of state workforce, education, human services, and other agencies working...

Strada supports programs, policies, and organizations that strengthen connections between education and employment in the U.S., with a special focus on helping those who have faced the greatest challenges securing opportunity through postsecondary education or training.

Although MOOCs platforms offer a unique way to provide information for a large cohort of participants, only a small percentage of participants complete MOOCs. The high number of dropouts in MOOCs is a key challenge, and the literature suggests that it can be affected by participants' motivation. However, it is not known how and to what extent motivation influences participants’ dropout in MOOCs. There is a need to provide an overview of the role of motivation in MOOCs’ retention. In this study, we aimed to identify motivational factors and theories that affect participants’ retention in MOOCs and explain how does motivation supports participants to complete MOOCs. To do so, a systematic review was conducted using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and a set of relevant keywords and databases which resulted in 50 relevant publications. Our analysis led us to identify six main motivational factors that influence participants’ MOOCs completion including academic, social, course, personal, professional, and technological motives. These factors were divided into two main categories including need-based motivation and interest-based motivation. The results showed that academic motives play the most important role in participants’ MOOCs retention compared to the other factors. It was also found that self-determination theory was used as the most dominant theory to support participants’ motivation for MOOCs completion. In addition, the results revealed that the motivational factors not only impacts participants’ MOOCs retention directly, but also this impact is mediated by participant satisfaction, self-regulation, attitude toward using MOOCs, performance, engagement, and level of participation. Based on the results, further implications for practice and future research are provided.

Webinar held on October 16, 2023

The Project on Workforce at Harvard Summer Fellowship Series This report is a product of the Project on Workforce’s Summer Fellowship Program, a short-term research and policy opportunity for Harvard graduate students and recent alumni from the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Summer fellows are placed in interdisciplinary, cross-school project teams over the course of the summer and complete projects focused on pressing policy or ope

Does it pay off for students from low-income backgrounds?

The authors describe findings from a study on how frequently low-income individuals are stacking credentials, whether stacking increases wage-earning opportunities, and which fields provide the best returns from stacking.

Leigh Parise talks with Paul Fain, a veteran higher education journalist, and Betsy Tessler, a senior research journalist at MDRC, about nondegree credentials—their effectiveness, their challenges, and what the future holds for them.

We read almost daily about the need for upskilling and reskilling the workforce and the opportunity for higher education institutions to provide training

By Youngjin Yoo, Erman Ayday and Natalie Smolenski Executive Summary In today's rapidly transforming economy, finding qualified employees with nece...

Education Quality Outcomes Standards (EQOS) establishes universal, independent measures of education and training program quality to help people navigate the increasingly crowded and confusing education and training marketplace.

Overview and Introduction Today, we conclude the WCET blog series on microcredentials which set out to address the inception, implementation, and evaluation of microcredentialing approaches across the higher education industry. We learned that there is a wide range of reasons […]

Microcredentialing programs remain nascent at many institutions, but interest continues to grow. As the demand for flexible learning experiences incre

Harvard researchers say colleges have all kinds of programs and supports designed to help students get well-paying jobs, but there’s little research on if they accomplish their goals.

The authors examine whether low-income individuals are stacking credentials and benefiting economically, explore systemic barriers to stackable credential opportunities for low-income individuals, and consider solutions to strengthen these pipelines.