To MOOC or not to MOOC? Exploring MOOC readiness of YNSPEED project participants

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become one of the most prominent extensions to distance learning, especially during the pandemic and in the post pandemic period. With the growth in the number of users of MOOCs (220 million users in 2021, excluding China) (Shah, 2021), educational opportunities within the field have been enhanced for both learners and course designers. The paper investigates the readiness of youth workers from 5 countries (Romania, Spain, Poland, Cyprus and Serbia) to engage in MOOCs either as learners or as instructors, after the training activities on MOOCs within the YNSPEED project have been completed. The data were collected using a questionnaire which was designed partially from the Driha et al. (2016) questionnaire and by a number of originally developed questions. Data were further analyzed using the SPSS software and descriptive statistic approach. The results suggest that although as many as 73.3% of the respondents have never completed a MOOC, MOOCs are perceived as an enhancement that might bring numerous benefits, but not offer the core value that traditional education brings. Apart from improving digital literacy skills, the results suggest, that MOOCs should provide a full course experience with high-quality content delivered by a renowned lecturer/university from abroad, at a lower cost, finalized by a certificate.