Opportunities and challenges of adopting MOOCs in Africa: A systematic literature review

Abstract

MOOCs are one of the most transformative tools of the 21st century offering scalable affordances such as increased access to quality education and providing new learning opportunities to communities previously disadvantaged by location and time. The outbreak of COVID-19 has magnified the need for remote-based teaching to minimise learning disruptions. Although developed countries have adopted MOOCs as a novel tool for technology-enhanced education, Africa still lags in adopting such platforms. Literature indexed by two databases, the Web of Science and Scopus, was used for a systematic literature review to evaluate research themes on African countries’ opportunities and challenges when adopting MOOCs. The eight-step methodology selected 36 articles published between 2013 and 2021. Results indicate that a few African countries are researching MOOCs. Opportunities for MOOC adoption in Africa are repurposing MOOCs, democratising access to higher education, professional development of teachers, transitions in the workplace and using algorithms to enhance learning. The challenges faced include access to the Internet and educational equipment, lack of skills, pedagogical barriers and MOOCs as a preserve of the Global North. MOOCs provide the potential for universal access to education if African governments could enact policies that support development, adoption and growth.