Denotations pertaining to teaching experiences of massive open online courses on the basis of the phenomenological perspective

This study analyzes the denotations pertaining to instructors’ teaching experiences of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). By conducting a detailed phenomenological interview and data analysis, the study provides the denotations pertaining to common human phenomena through intrinsic psychological processes experienced by the instructors. The denotations were described on the basis of five perspectives—Delivering a learner-centered message, editing a teaching video with a story scenario, valuing the diversity of the learning experience over the acquisition of basic knowledge, setting aside fame and profit during teaching, and displaying the power of enthusiastic innovative teaching. On the basis of the five aforementioned descriptions, five denotations of teaching experiences were identified. (1) Transfer of professional practical experiences: This category involves preparing teaching materials on the basis of practical experiences. Such materials differ from the contents of traditional courses and enable students to find the topic useful and interesting. (2) Preparing optimal multimedia teaching materials: This category involves teaching by utilizing the framework provided in the teaching materials and editing videos or animations by linking the topics with situations encountered in daily life. This enables students to comprehend the materials easily and face the future responsibly. (3) Diversified learning experiences: This category involves teaching with diverse resources, including experts, to broaden students’ horizons. (4) Advancing the digital teaching ability: This category involves setting aside the individual fame and profit during teaching and teaching MOOCs to provide appropriate training and obtain suitable feedback. (5) Spirit of learning by experiences: This category involves cherishing the enthusiasm of innovative teaching and taking up novel challenges when teaching. Finally, implications and recommendations are proposed by analyzing the denotations pertaining to instructors’ experiences of teaching MOOCs.