A MOOC approach for training researchers in developing countries

Presenters: Andy Nobes & Ravi Murugesan, INASP (AuthorAid), UK

Date and Time: 1 hour webinar 22 August at 1 pm (SAST)

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We report on the development and outcomes of an online course in research writing offered in a massive open online course (MOOC) format for developing country researchers. The course was designed on Moodle with a low-bandwidth and low-cost philosophy in mind, using a pedagogy based on Garrison’s Community of Inquiry model (maximising ‘cognitive presence’,’teacher presence’, and ‘social presence’), with the facilitation supported by a team of ‘guest facilitators’. It was offered twice as a MOOC and 2830 learners from more than 90 countries, mainly in the developing world, took part. The average completion rate was 53%. Female learners and learners who were active in the forums were more likely to complete the course. Our MOOC approach may be a useful model for continuing professional development training in the developing world. In this webinar we report on the findings of our paper, explain some of the wider contexts, and provide more recent updates on further follow-up studies with participants.

This series has ended – the six webinars are available on the following YouTube playlist


Andy Nobes is a Programme Officer (Research Development and Support) for INASP. Andy’s role covers several different projects – he supports the Journals Online project, which has helped develop open-access platforms for journals in developing countries. He is also involved in the AuthorAID project, which supports developing country researchers through writing workshops, grants, and an online mentoring scheme. In addition, Andy administrates and moderates INASP’s online courses, and is coordinating the development of a range of new online courses across INASP’s different programme areas. He previously worked for an academic publisher in journal e-marketing and library marketing.


Ravi Murugesan has more than eight years of experience with Moodle, an open-source online learning platform. He has also worked in the higher education, electronic design, and scientific communication sectors. Ravi’s work with INASP includes administering INASP Moodle, creating and facilitating online courses, facilitating train-the-trainers workshops, and administering small grants. Ravi is based in Mumbai, India. See Ravi’s blog posts on Practising Development.

 

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