Massive Online Open Courses for education (MOOCs) do have some benefits such as enhancing accessibility, lifelong learning, and perhaps increased student engagement (until students begin to drop-out). However, considering “an essential characteristic of open education is the removal of barriers to learning” (Bates, 2014), there are many challenges to MOOCs, especially when trying to design a “one size fits all model” assuming it will benefit learners from all over the world. Yuan and Powell (2013) discuss implications for higher education:
1. Pedagogy:
Do MOOCs follow a sound pedagogy and organizational approach to online learning that will lead to quality outcomes and experiences for students?
What new pedagogies and organizational mechanisms might be required if MOOC are to deliver a high quality learning experience?
2. Quality and Completion Rates:
Compared to most online courses, MOOCs lack structure and rarely include the role of an instructor. Drop-out rates are also significantly high, for example “MOOCs offered by Stanford, MIT and UC Berkley were 80-95%” (cited in Yuan & Powell, 2013, p. 11).
3. Assessment and Credit:
These courses are a platform for tremendous knowledge-building, but most of them do not actually qualify as being “recognized” courses for employment or for credible institutions.
Other issues to consider when thinking about MOOCs and developing countries:
Language barrier – still remains to be the biggest issue as in most parts of the developing world, English is not the primary language, even though it could be the official language. They also demand a certain level of digital literacy from the participants, which has raised concerns on inclusivity and equality of access.
Community Priorities – MOOCs are designed with a specific topic or focus in mind and unless the course reflects community priorities, then how will it strengthen capacity?
Cultural Divide – What is the context of the course being offered? Translations are taken literally and often have no familiar cultural context.
References:
Bates, T. (2014). MOOCs; Chapter 10: Trends in Open Education. Teaching in digital age (online book)
Yuan, L., Powell, S., & CETIS, J. (2013). MOOCs and open education: Implications for higher education.