MOOCs as Accelerators of Social Mobility? A Systematic Review

Autor/inn/en	van de Oudeweetering, Karmijn; Agirdag, Orhan
Titel	MOOCs as Accelerators of Social Mobility? A Systematic Review
Quelle	In: Educational Technology & Society, 21 (2018) 1, S.1-11 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1436-4522
Schlagwörter	Online Courses; Social Mobility; Educational Opportunities; Barriers; Distance Education; Comparative Analysis; Developed Nations; Advantaged; Educationally Disadvantaged; Higher Education; Literature Reviews + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Online course; Online-Kurs; Soziale Mobilität; Bildungsangebot; Bildungschance; Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht; Developed countries; Industriestaat; Industrieland; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen
Abstract	Due to their perceived scope and openness to socially underprivileged groups, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been presented as tools to enhance social mobility. However, there has also been evidence to suggest that MOOCs are mainly beneficial for privileged groups and could even contribute to an increasing gap in educational opportunities between privileged and underprivileged populations. This systematic review has evaluated 31 empirical studies to examine how MOOCs benefit the socially privileged in comparison to underprivileged groups. The literature has pointed out specific formal barriers that might make MOOCs less accessible for underprivileged learners. In addition, enrollment demographics displayed that the majority of MOOC learners is well educated, employed and from developed countries. Finally, the literature suggested that privileged learners could be more likely to complete a MOOC. Nevertheless, the literature indicated a notable share of underprivileged learners that would otherwise not enjoy higher education. Moreover, it is suggested that certain MOOCs might serve underprivileged learners more than other MOOCs. The implications of these findings and recommendations for future research will be discussed. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	International Forum of Educational Technology & Society. Available from: National Sun Yat-sen University. Department of Information Management, 70, Lien-Hai Rd, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan. Web site: http://www.ifets.info
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01