WHY INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATE IN MOOC? ATADEMIX SAMPLE

In this study, it is aimed to determine the reasons why the participants participate to Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in terms of performance, effort, social, and facilitating and the sources they heard about MOOC. The survey method was used in this study. The sample of the study was consisted of 698 participants selected at the courses of MOOC called Atademix, from Atatürk University and selected by convenience sampling method. These participants registered at least one of the courses in Atademix. Atademix is the first institutional MOOC from Atatürk University with technical infrastructure and experience in Turkey. The courses are taught via the Internet by using various course materials and exercises / applications in Atademix. Courses in the program are designed to support active participation by using presentations, interactive videos, discussion forums, assignments and end-of-course projects as well as lecture notes. In this study, questionnaire was used as data collection tool. Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Model was used while constructing the questionnaire. This model include performance, effort, social, and facilitating. Descriptive statistical methods were used in the analysis of the data. It has been determined that most of the students are informed by MOOC through social media. Participants were found to have a high average of the items that determine participation for reasons of performance, effort,f acilitating, and the social factor was lower than the other factors