MOOCs advantages challenge – UGC NET Question

MOOCs attract large numbers of participants from around the world, offering broad access to courses. However, many learners drop out before finishing, resulting in relatively low completion rates. The stem contrasts the advantage of access with a major challenge, which is low completion rates, so “completion” is the appropriate word to fill the blank. Thus, Option A is correct.

Option A:
Low completion raises questions about learner motivation, course design and support services in massive online environments. It is widely discussed in higher education literature on MOOCs and fits the issue highlighted in the question.

Option B:
Admission rates refer to the proportion admitted from among applicants, which is not the central concern in open-access MOOCs that often have no formal admission process. Hence, Option B is inappropriate.

Option C:
Entry refers simply to joining or enrolling, which is abundant in MOOCs rather than problematic. Therefore, Option C does not match the challenge being described.

Option D:
Announcement relates to publicity and information sharing, not to the rates at which learners finish courses, making Option D incorrect.