Adoption of MOOCs by Emerging Countries Seeking Solutions to University Overcrowding: Literature Review and Feedback from the First Scientific MOOC Held by Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah University – Fez, Morocco

Authors

  • Khadija Naji Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University (SMBAU), Fez, Morocco
  • Abdelali Ibriz Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University (SMBAU), Fez, Morocco
  • Youssef Mourdi Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i22.16945

Keywords:

MOOC, Moroccan Higher Education, University overcrowding, Emerging countries

Abstract


The adoption of various forms of distance education, particularly MOOCs (an acronym for Massive Open Online Courses), by universities worldwide has continuously gained momentum over the past decade. This is due not only to the importance of maintaining a parallel educational model alongside face-to-face courses in order to complete students’ training, but also in response to the limits of academic infrastructure faced with an increasingly large mass of learners, typically in emerging countries. Universities view MOOCs as a remedy to this dilemma—one which promises reasonable development costs—especially taking into account the ubiquity of the internet and digital communication tools. In a country such as Morocco, whose university capacity has been stretched to 186%, the quest to dematerialize lectures can support universities in producing well-rounded professional profiles as well as improving institutional and academic services overall. In this paper, we present the feedback from Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University concerning its first scientific MOOC, launched within the framework of the MarocUniversitéNumérique (Morocco Digital University) or MUN project in collaboration with the France UniversitéNumérique (France Digital University) or FUN platform. The objectives of this paper are threefold: to assess the possibility of adopting further MOOCs in a Moroccan setting, to seek insight on the profiles of learners who have completed MOOCs and to draw lessons in order to improve future experiences.

Author Biographies

Khadija Naji, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University (SMBAU), Fez, Morocco

Transmission and Information Processing Laboratory LTTI

Abdelali Ibriz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University (SMBAU), Fez, Morocco

Transmission and Information Processing Laboratory LTTI

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Published

2020-11-30

How to Cite

Naji, K., Ibriz, A., & Mourdi, Y. (2020). Adoption of MOOCs by Emerging Countries Seeking Solutions to University Overcrowding: Literature Review and Feedback from the First Scientific MOOC Held by Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah University – Fez, Morocco. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 15(22), pp. 78–103. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i22.16945

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Papers