Females' Enrollment and Completion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Massive Open Online Courses

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have the potential to democratize education by providing learners with access to rich sources of information. However, evidence supporting this democratization across countries is limited. We explored the question of democratization by investigating whether females from different countries were more likely to enroll in and complete STEM MOOCs compared with males. We found that whereas females were less likely to enroll in STEM MOOCs, they were equally likely to complete them. We found smaller gender gaps in STEM MOOC enrollment in less economically developed countries. Further, females were more likely than males to complete STEM MOOCs in countries identified as having a high potential to become the largest economies in the 21st century. Introduction Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have attracted tens of millions of learners around the world. Theoretically, anyone with an Internet connection is able to freely access these online courses, which are often provided by professors from elite universities. Similar to previous technological advancements in broadcast media such as radio and television, MOOCs were expected to transform education by providing learning opportunities for those who otherwise would not have access to them (Yuan & Powell, 2013). The growing MOOC movement stems from the belief that knowledge should be freely shared and people have the right to learn regardless of their social and economic backgrounds (Yuan & Powell, 2013). MOOC proponents argue that MOOCs can democratize higher education and provide learning opportunities not only for traditionally underserved populations but also for college-educated populations, who may benefit from the extra course-work made available to improve their employment opportunities (Koller, 2013). However, the high expectation that MOOCs will promote educational equity has been dampened by studies describing the demographics of individuals who enroll in and complete MOOCs (Christensen et al., 2013; Hansen & Reich, 2015; Ho et al., 2015). Statistics show that the majority of MOOC learners are young, well-educated males from developed countries (Christensen et al., 2013). In the U.S. for example, people of higher socioeconomic status (SES) are much more likely to enroll in MOOCs than people of lower SES (Hansen & Reich, 2015). Gender disparity is also prevalent in MOOCs, especially in STEM subjects. On average, only 1 in 5 learners in a STEM MOOC is female (Ho et al., 2015). Based on these demographics, critics argue that MOOCs are failing to reach disadvantaged individuals, such as those without access to higher