{"id":41803,"date":"2017-12-18T10:28:25","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T18:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=41803"},"modified":"2017-12-18T10:28:25","modified_gmt":"2017-12-18T18:28:25","slug":"moocs-can-still-bring-higher-education-really-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/moocs-can-still-bring-higher-education-really-need\/","title":{"rendered":"Moocs can still bring higher education to those who really need it"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

In the world of digital education, massive open online courses (Moocs) are here to stay.<\/p>\n

It may have been five years since The New York Times<\/em> declared 2012 to be the Year of the MOOC<\/a>,\u00a0but Moocs are still multiplying and branching out into new forms of accredited learning experiences. All the major Mooc platforms \u2013 such as edX, Coursera, Udacity and FutureLearn \u2013 are offering some kind of professional certification or degree-level study. You can study a business-skills focused MicroMasters with edX <\/a>or a Nanodegree with Udacity<\/a> or take a full master\u2019s online with FutureLearn<\/a> or Coursera<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The platforms themselves have improved, adding new features that have shifted learning away from the transmission mode of video lectures to embrace more meaningful peer-to-peer learning opportunities, feedback and practice.<\/p>\n

While thousands of learners have found that the scaled-up learning model works for them, only a small, privileged section of the global population currently use Moocs. These tend to be experienced and well-qualified learners \u2013 most Mooc participants already have a degree<\/a>. Yet the World Bank has warned that we are in the midst of a global education crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, as we discuss in our recent Centre for Global Higher Education working paper<\/a>, what do we have to do to make Moocs work for the people who need them most?<\/p>\n

Making the case for Moocs<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Millions of people in the Global South are capable of studying online but live too far from affordable campus education. Many others around the world find themselves in situations that restrict their options for study \u2013 they might be living as refugees, or they might have difficulty taking time away from work or family.<\/p>\n

For them, online learning might be their only chance to study. Given that the digital world now enables remote employment as well as remote learning, online learning could be a lifeline to a level of prosperity that has never before been possible.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Conventional small, tutored online courses will not work in these contexts, because the business model becomes unfeasible when the numbers scale. The cost of tutors to provide individual feedback online to tens of thousands of students is not sustainable.<\/p>\n

Digital technologies can now effectively support and enhance the process of learning. They can emulate all the types of teaching-learning activity through which learners develop concepts and practice, and sustain relationships among teachers and learners.<\/p>\n