Barriers towards the continued usage of massive open online courses: A case study in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated the digitization of learning processes with the help of massive open online courses (MOOCs). However, many candidates drop out of MOOCs. Hence, this study aims to identify factors inducing resistance towards the continued usage of MOOCs. The aim is met with a case study in a prominent business school in India following a multimethod approach that involves a qualitative inquiry and an empirical survey. The factors identified following a grounded theory approach from the qualitative inquiry are classified into four groups that represent usage, value, tradition, and image barriers. The empirical survey validated the findings from the qualitative inquiry by confirming that all four barriers are significantly associated with resistance towards the continued usage of MOOCs. The present case study may deliver value to educators offering online courses and managers of MOOCs.