Towards More Human-Centered openHPI Collab Spaces

Since their inception, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have generated significant attention from students and particularly lifelong learners. This has led to increased interest from academic institutions to develop their own online platforms or to collaborate with other existing platforms, such as edX, to offer their MOOCs. This chapter focuses on openHPI, the MOOC platform offered by the Hasso Plattner Institute in Germany. One of the platform’s important features is the Collab Space, a virtual private space for groups and teams in which they can interact and collaborate on assignments and projects using a set of communication and collaboration tools. The conducted study examines the current state of the Collab Space from a learner’s perspective by assessing the functionality of its communication and collaboration tools and how they are being used by the participants. We applied a design thinking approach to carry out the study and to develop solutions for some of the platform deficiencies revealed by the study. During the study, we observed teams while performing tasks and interacting together in the Collab Space, and evaluated how the teams used their tools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted during two stages of the study. We argue that by applying the design thinking methodology and putting participants at the center of our research, new insights on how to improve the user-centeredness of the Collab Space can be achieved. We conclude this chapter by outlining next steps for research and potential future opportunities.