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.
Highlights
From correspondence courses through the postal service to a wide variety of tools and content available on the Internet, distance education has evolved significantly
Recent years have marked the history of distance education with the emergence of a new educational model termed Massive Open Online Courses, abbreviated hereafter as MOOC(s)
The MUN project: On July 15th, 2016, an agreement on the creation of the "Morocco Digital University" (MUN) platform was signed between the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education and Research, France Digital University (FUN) and the French Embassy
Summary
From correspondence courses through the postal service to a wide variety of tools and content available on the Internet, distance education has evolved significantly At present, it consistently attracts the attention of universities as a method which acts in a complementary role alongside traditional face-to-face courses. It consistently attracts the attention of universities as a method which acts in a complementary role alongside traditional face-to-face courses This mode of education, which is improving from year to year as it aligns with technological developments, has established its presence as an essential tool for improving the educational performance of university professors and other instructors [1]. First appearing in 2008[2], MOOCs are known for their diversity of content, facilitating widespread access to new knowledge and skills in a variety of disciplines. Student registration generally does not involve exclusive prerequisites or a precise academic level; aspects that democratize access to knowledge according to numerous researchers around the world [3]
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