International Pros and Cons of MOOCs Still Undecided
What Is MOOC?
MOOC stands for ‘Massive Open Online Courses.' This is an open education system for any person interested in learning a particular subject. These courses can vary from simple cooking to astronomy. All you need is a stable internet connection and a device on which to access it. These days, most are mobile, tablet, and PC friendly.
More About The Process
To be able to learn with a MOOC you need an extraordinary amount of interest and enthusiasm for the subject you wish to study. Fortunately, there are platforms offering courses for learners of all capacities. You will simply need to find the institution and program you want and register. You will then get regular emails regarding the progress of the course and also an evaluation of your level of learning at regular intervals. In a way, it has little difference from the traditional college educational system except that it is online.
Impact on the Global Market
Recent Pros
In this age full of information and technology, the world is very often referred to as a ‘global village.' We can connect with each other within the shortest possible time through the blessing of science and technology, no matter how far away the other person may be.
MOOC provides the people of the world a chance to learn and, thus, creates a possibility to educate more people than ever before. Coursera, Khan Academy, and edX are some of the very popular platforms providing Massive Open Online Courses.
Recent Cons
A MOOC will have a wide range of learner groups across the world. Because of this, it simply can't maintain its standards of excellence all the time. Lack of proper certified authority also seems to be a problem. Again, there's no strong regulation of the qualification of the students to be enrolled for a certain course. Hence, quality control is a major obstacle.
Given all these facts, MOOC, even with its growing popularity, struggles to achieve global acceptance. Many persons and entities see it as a noble past time, but refuse to acknowledge any certification received through it.
Another accusation leveled against MOOCs is that they have failed to actually provide mass education. MOOC is noticeably available to only learners of developed countries which makes its promise of global education seem like an empty promise.
Initial Hype
The initial hype MOOCs generated hasn’t lost much momentum however. Because it can be exciting to learn something engaging and delightful sitting at home, MOOCs still have a lot to offer to the developing nations.
Published on June 13, 2017 | Updated June 13, 2017
