Effects of a project management MOOC on employability skills and career self-perception: Comparing academic cohorts and free auditors in a pre-test/post-test design
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines the impact of a Project Management MOOC on self-perceived employability and career self-perception, comparing academic cohorts (AC) who enroll as part of formal education with free auditors (FA) who participate voluntarily. Drawing on a competence-based approach, we assess skill-based employability through dimensions of occupational expertise, anticipation and optimization, and personal flexibility, and evaluate career self-perception via measures of external marketability, career ambition, and motivation. Prior research tends to show that the active population puts importance on skills and social networks, whereas students view MOOC micro-credentials as a means to access the labor market. However, a research gap remains regarding how different learner groups leverage MOOCs for professional development. Data was collected during the course via two surveys administered at pretest (N = 3,059) and posttest (N = 1,357), with paired analyses on 1,301 participants. Results indicate that FA exhibit significantly higher scores in skill-based employability and career motivation at both pre- and post-test, whereas AC demonstrate better scores in external marketability and career ambition, with no significant differences observed in personal flexibility for both groups. These findings highlight that the subdimensions of employability, whether approached from a skill-based or dispositional perspective, do not behave homogeneously but vary depending on contextual factors such as learner group and course subject matter. The study contributes to the integrative employability research agenda and underscores the importance of contextualizing MOOC effects according to learner status. These results highlight the need for further investigation about the mechanisms through which MOOCs enhance practical competencies and influence career self-conception across diverse learner populations, paving the way for future research to better understand how distance learning settings can better foster employability.
Source: Online Learning
Author: Rawad Chaker
Institution: Université Lumière Lyon 2
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204910088