This paper presents two research questions that revolve around how a student’s personality reflects their academic success. The authors collected data from a massive open online course (MOOC) environment and used various social media systems in their analysis. The major difficulty identified is the diverse range of learners who enrolled in MOOC courses. However, the cohort in this research was divided into two groups, based on their prior content knowledge, for the data analysis stage.

There are some minor issues with the content of this research. For example, the paper begins with the statement that MOOCs began in 2011; however, the originators developed this concept in 2008. Since about 2012, two accepted approaches to this type of educational delivery have been developed, both of which would be known to the authors. This distinction would have contextualized the research.

The findings from this paper confirm the poor completion rates of this type of educational delivery, and support the notion that a student’s conscientiousness is a strong predictor of academic success. There is acknowledgement that this research is exploratory and a foundation for future investigation. This paper would be of interest to academics in the area of MOOC delivery systems.