MOOCs for Development (MOOCs4D): Conversations with Those at the Bottom of the Pyramid

• In Event: Higher Education SIG Highlighted Session: The Future of the University: Facing Globalization, Technology and Innovation

Abstract

To date, nearly all of the attention has been on how major research universities can create their content for worldwide consumption. The vision of MOOCs for Development (MOOCs4D) was to focus the conversation specifically on the developing world by broadening the discussion to consider: new definitions, frameworks for use, and directions for MOOCs in low-income countries.

The popularity of MOOCs may be seen through an increasing demand for post-secondary enrollment that is predicted to increase to 250 million students in 2025.
Current MOOC platforms have students registered in nearly 200 countries. This raises concerns about the relevance of content offered, languages of instruction, how to meet diverse learning needs, cultural differences in teaching, and accessibility in various regions with poor telecommunications infrastructure.

We are at the beginning of a conversation (and debate) on the future of MOOCs (and universities) from a global perspective. The research to date–is thin. We will know a great deal more in the coming years, and the field of global education will be impacted in very important ways.

MOOCs have a distinct advantage in that they use technology to scale, and are able to provide learning opportunities to many more individuals than traditional brick-and-mortar institutions. Not only do MOOCs hold out the prospect of greatly expanding capacity to meet growing demand worldwide, but they also offer the potential of enabling access to high quality education to all persons regardless of socioeconomic status, even in the most impoverished and under-served regions of the world.

Author

• Dan Wagner, University of Pennsylvania