MOOCs: Adoption, Perceived Benefits and Hurdles among the Engineering Faculties of Karnataka

Abstract

The present study aims to explore the adoption and benefits of MOOCs among the faculties of selected engineering colleges in Karnataka. A descriptive research design was deployed for the study. Two hundred copies of the structured questionnaire were distributed to collect data from the faculties of four reputed engineering colleges affiliated with Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi. It was found that only 67.62% of faculties were aware and hooked on the MOOCs platforms. 38.30% of the faculties made use of MOOCs for gaining knowledge, 25.53% for conducting research and 22.34% to publish contents. The study found the positive impact of MOOCs on the knowledge and carrier prospects of faculties. Lack of time and interest were the major hurdles cited by the participants in adopting MOOCs. The study provides valuable insights into the faculties of Indian higher education institutions to make use of MOOCs technology for a better experience and output for teaching and learning and also to overcome the challenges in adoption.