Experiences of gifted seventh grade students in an astronomy-based massive open online course

Purpose: It was aimed to determine the experiences of gifted students in astronomy-based Massive Open Online Courses developed as an innovative method within the scope of science education. Method: Program execution and case study design, one of the qualitative research methods, were used to examine in detail the experiences of gifted students in the MOOC based on the astronomy topics in the MoNE science curriculum. The study group consisted of 51 gifted 7th grade middle school students. Data were obtained through pre-, mid-, and post-interview forms, semi-structured qualitative interview form and learning management system learning analytics and analyzed using content analysis method. Results: Most of the participants in the research group stated that astronomy education with the use of the RBS was an efficient and effective process by providing self-learning responsibility, that the support of the content with digital and interactive tools facilitated learning and made it enjoyable, and that they would like to receive different trainings with this type of education. A few participants stated that this method was in sufficient for them and that they needed teacher support in face-to-face education. Conclusion and Suggestions: It was seen that MOOCs can be handled as an innovative method for the scientific development of gifted middle school students, and that students can enrich their learning experiences with digital content that will support their academic development by taking their own learning responsibilities in this process. Keywords: Massive open online course, Gifted student, Astronomy education, Experiences of students