As mentioned in a previous post, several colleagues joined me in the Coursera/University of Toronto course, “Aboriginal Worldviews and Education” back in February and March. (an excellent course by the way – fodder for another post) Our cohort tried to get together online and by teleconference for a weekly discussion. Some were unable to participate as fully as they’d hoped because of family and work responsibilities. One has kept up a correspondence with me expressing regrets and subtle guilt over dropping out. Below is my most recent email to this colleague.

A frequent criticism leveled at MOOCs is the low completion rate. I consider that criticism muddled and unfair. Like you said, you signed up knowing you might not have time to completely participate, because it was free. I say, THAT IS OK.
I disagree with “you don’t want too many people like that signing up”. If 9 out of 10 will drop out, isn’t it much better to have 1500 sign-ups than 150?  Signups in these courses cost nothing (except the time invested by the participant, so that’s his/her own business, not the critic’s).

You signed up and found out it was a really great course. That alone was a benefit to you. Beyond that, you continue to engage in this conversation and evidence a strong desire for more participation in the future. Much better you should sign up and find out, than not sign up out of fear of being seen as a failure.

It is totally unfair that the stigma of failure that falls on college students who, having invested time and money traveling to campus and paying fees*, drop out because of inadequate preparation, unfair I say to place that stigma on someone who signs up to a free course to “see how it goes”. Now, I have serious questions about the justice of the stigma placed upon the former as well, but it has even less legitimacy when it is imputed to a voluntary participant who is satisfying a curiosity that may or may not lead to becoming an active member of a learning community this time.

So don’t feel bad about dropping out. I celebrate that you engaged.

Edit: After reading Vanessa Vaile’s comment, I have edited my original title which was,
“Open Letter to a MOOC dropout”.

*Stephen Downes www.downes.ca/post/58698