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It may come as a bit of a surprise that the range of MOOCs and opportunities they offer are still far from catering to the needs of certain communities. This seems to be the case with emerging communities that do not always have the resources or the infrastructure to allow open access to online courses and so see MOOCs as a form of blended learning.
Even if a course is free, language, learning design, learner support, quality, authenticity, accreditation, institutional appropriateness and cultural relevance can all exclude students.
(Charlotte Gunawardena, 2014)
A similar study conducted in 2014 corroborates this evidence. The UNESCO guidelines to policy-makers in developing countries do offer some suggestions as to how MOOCs can benefit economically developing areas, yet they are still aware of their limitations.
In some quarters it is argued that MOOCs are not optimally inclusive and accessible to a wide and diverse range of citizens. Consequently, they cannot and must not be seen as the only solution for making quality education accessible to all, or for addressing other social challenges.
(Mariana Patru and Venkataraman Balaj, 2016)
It would be interesting to see how MOOCs have developed over the last four years to satisfy the needs of these communities.
References:
Gunawardena, C., (2014) Moocs: students in the global south are wary of a ‘sage on the stage’. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/mar/19/cost-barrier-students-global-south#comments. (Accessed: 15th February 2020).
Patru, M. and Balaji, V. (2016). MOOCs A Guide for Policy-Makers in Developing Countries. Available at: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000245122. (Accessed 16th February 2020)
The impact and reach of MOOCs: A developing countries’ perspective. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282017429_The_impact_and_reach_of_MOOCs_A_developing_countries’_perspective. (Accessed: 16th February 2020).
