Making sense of MOOCs: a guide for policy-makers in developing countries

Since 2012, known as 'The year of the MOOC', massive open online courses (MOOCs) have expanded worldwide, shaking up the higher education landscape, potentially disrupting the model of brick-and-mortar universities. While higher education institutions have long been engaged with the delivery of online content (open educational resources; virtual learning environments), the rapid advent of MOOCs is regarded by some experts as an education revolution. However most of  current MOOCs are delivered by top universities in the North, being considered by many as a oneway transfer of knowledge from the developed countries to the developing world.

[This guide] is designed to raise general awareness amongst policymakers in developing countries as to how MOOCs might address their concerns and priorities, particularly in terms of access to affordable quality higher education and preparation of secondary school leavers for academic as well as vocational education and training. With very few exceptions, many of the reports on MOOCs already published do not refer to the interest and experience of developing countries, although we are witnessing important initiatives in more and more countries around the world.

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