Promoting Continuing Computer Science Education Through A Massively Open Online Course
Abstract: This paper presents the results of a comparison study between graduate students taking a software security course at an American university and international working professionals taking a version of the same course online through a free massive open online course (MOOC) created in the Google CourseBuilder learning environment. A goal of the study was to determine if the MOOC could provide updated continuing education to computer science specialists working in the rapidly changing field of software security. While there were some similarities between sections, significant differences in outcomes favoring on-campus learners suggested the MOOC could be improved by leveraging the greater institutional knowledge of working professionals in educational activities and improving instruction with enhanced discussion prompting and feedback loops.