Inspired by the commonly used "purchase funnel" in marketing and sales, the author suggests that a funnel of participation exists in MOOCs. The marketing model tries to trace a customer's journey in 4 stages- awareness, interest, desire, and action whereas the participation model tracks an online user's journey through awareness, registration, activity, and progress. They suggest the funnel of participation is a very real phenomena in MOOCs and can explain and predict the reasons for steep dropout rates and unequal participation patterns.