In spite of the high impact of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), learners frequently disengage from the course contents and activities due to unexpected problems of different natures, such as content-related or technical issues. Feedback has been identified as an important aspect of the learning process directly connected with learners' engagement. However, the massive and impersonal nature of MOOCs hinders the provision of efficient and timely feedback to those learners facing problems. This paper examines how MOOC practitioners identify and support learners facing problems, what challenges they encounter, and what strategies they apply to overcome such challenges. Additionally, the current study aims to compare the learners' problems and practitioners' experiences between engineering-related and nonengineering related MOOCs. A qualitative phenomenological study has been conducted through semistructured interviews with 14 MOOC practitioners. The evidence gathered shows diverse learners' and practitioners' problems shared among engineering and nonengineering courses and a general concern on how to address individual learners' needs in time. A common practice of problem identification regards checking the self-reported issues in communication forums. Identification strategies with the use of learning analytics are limited due to platform restrictions or lack of practitioners' skills in interpreting the provided information. The synthesis of MOOC practitioners from both engineering and nonengineering disciplines may provide insights that are either globally applicable to all disciplines or specific to engineering. The results could be shaped into conceptual and technological solutions to help MOOC stakeholders (e.g., researchers, practitioners) identify potential learners facing difficulties and support them during the course process.

中文翻译：

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“休斯顿，我们有问题”：揭示 MOOC 从业者向面临困难的学习者提供反馈的经验

尽管大规模开放在线课程 (MOOC) 的影响很大，但由于与内容相关或技术问题等不同性质的意外问题，学习者经常会脱离课程内容和活动。反馈已被确定为与学习者的参与直接相关的学习过程的一个重要方面。然而，MOOC 的大规模和非个人性质阻碍了向面临问题的学习者提供有效和及时的反馈。本文探讨了 MOOC 从业者如何识别和支持学习者面临的问题、他们遇到的挑战以及他们应用哪些策略来克服这些挑战。此外，目前的研究旨在比较工程相关和非工程相关 MOOC 之间学习者的问题和从业者的经验。通过对 14 名 MOOC 从业者的半结构化访谈进行了定性现象学研究。收集到的证据表明，不同的学习者和从业者在工程和非工程课程中存在共同的问题，并且普遍关注如何及时满足个别学习者的需求。问题识别的常见做法是检查交流​​论坛中的自我报告问题。由于平台限制或从业者缺乏解释所提供信息的技能，使用学习分析的识别策略受到限制。来自工程和非工程学科的 MOOC 从业者的综合可能提供全球适用于所有学科或特定于工程的见解。