This paper (14 page PDF) addresses issues that have become more predominant in recent discourse: "MOOCs are largely an American-led effort, with most courses coming from universities in the United States or other Western countries... the online courses threaten to exacerbate the worldwide influence of Western academe, bolstering its higher-education hegemony." There are many other places where this is addressed, including here and here. First of all, though, it's not true. Sure, American MOOCs generated a lot of interest and publicity, but they weren't the first, nor are they the most numerous - there are large MOOC movements in China, India and Europe, among others. And second, the concept of MOOCs, at least the way we created them, was based on the opposite of hegemony, eschewing predefined bodies of content and curricular outcomes, encouraging diverse modes of participation, and leaving the definition of success in the hands of participants. Image: Loeckx.
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