Unveiling User Experience and Value Proposition of Energy Transition MOOCs together with Industry Professionals

Abstract

The fields of energy and building services engineering are currently in transition. Shifting from fossil-based fuels to renewable resources creates a challenge for companies working in the field because it requires professionals’ retraining. To contribute towards upskilling within organizations particularly in the Uusimaa region in Finland, the FrEE project was initiated. The abbreviation “FrEE” stands for Swedish “Framtidens EnergiExpert” and is translated into English as “Capacity for Carbon Free Sustainable Growth”. The FrEE project was financed by REACT-EU funding as part of the measures implemented by the European Union due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the project was to create open learning materials concerning energy transition for local organizations and entrepreneurs in the field. This thesis was commissioned by the FrEE project to identify what kind of learning environment and practices would be most suitable for the target group and to create tools for building user-friendly MOOCs with the help of service design. Consequently, the aim of this thesis was to identify the target group’s needs, challenges and values in terms of studying alongside work.

To create a theoretical framework for the research, this thesis discusses different types of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the context of continuous learning, as well as user experience, gamification, perceived value, value co-creation, meaning of value in Service-dominant logic and value proposition design.

This thesis applies case study methodology to investigate the target group’s needs, challenges and values. The qualitative data were obtained using several methods including semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Data analysis was done with the help of content analysis and three-cycle coding.

The research results revealed that energy and building service engineering experts want to have microlearning resources that offer flexibility to accommodate their hectic work schedules, along with the added benefit of receiving a course certificate upon completing MOOCs. Additionally, participants expressed the need for learning materials to feature explicit learning objectives, incorporate gamification elements like practical tasks, images, and videos, and provide constructive feedback. Concerning the digital platform, they sought the ability to personalize content and a user-friendly interface.

The concrete outcomes of this thesis were the tools for building user-friendly MOOCs, which include a user persona, user archetypes, Value Proposition Canvas and the Guide for building energy transition MOOCs.