Blurb:

This chapter examines whether a massive open online course (MOOC) can support specialized vocabulary learning by combining situated-learning and learning-by-testing approaches. This exploration of how student (n = 1,265) performance on MOOC assessments varies based on group membership and the activities students performed within the online course showed students achieved high performance standards within the MOOC. Those who were additionally enrolled in a nursing program (n = 103) demonstrated improved vocabulary knowledge following MOOC completion, and their self-reports indicate the online course and the learning materials it provided facilitated students’ aural comprehension of clinical terms outside the MOOC. The results of the automatically graded assessments, their relationship to student actions, and student completion of practice quizzes indicate both graded and ungraded assessment should be used to enable learning in online courses. Additional implications for online assessment and course design are highlighted within the chapter.