Introducing MOOCs to Africa: New Economy Skills for Africa Program

Abstract

MOOCs as a type of globally-networked learning environment (GNLE) could become a very useful delivery model in the developing world – but not necessarily when tied to a specific platform like Coursera. If developing countries allow themselves to be locked in to a certain MOOC platform, they may have to adhere to the foreign values put forth by the platform owners. As a result, developing nations may lose some of their autonomy and exclude potential local partners who may not be a part of the same platform (Siemens, 2013). This exclusivity will make developing countries vulnerable to the effects of cultural imperialism, and prevent true collaboration with other developing countries that may be facing similar issues.