Community in the Open: Supports, Challenges, and Impacts of Local Learning Communities of K-12 Adolescent MOOC Learners from Nepal.

Zixi Li; Bonk, Curtis J.; Zhu, Meina

This exploratory qualitative study investigates the obstacles, local support, and learning outcomes for adolescent learners in Nepal taking massive open online courses (MOOCs). A convenience sampling method was employed, and a total of thirteen individual interviews were conducted with K-12 Nepali students. Utilizing thematic analysis, this study revealed that the major difficulties these learners faced were a lack of scaffolding, language barriers, limited technology and internet access, and unmatched learning capacity and MOOC learning objectives that were designed for adults originally. To address these challenges, a local community of teachers, peers, schools, and families played a significant role in inspiring learning, providing scaffolding and guidance, fostering a collective and open local learning environment, instilling motivation, and offering both emotional and technical support. MOOC learning increases the independence of these adolescent learners, supplementing school learning, supporting their career paths, providing practical skills beyond theories, and achieving mental well-being. The aim of this study is to address the existing research gap pertaining to the role of local communities in blended learning with MOOCs, especially within communities situated in the Global South.

MASSIVE open online courses; CONVENIENCE sampling (Statistics); EVIDENCE gaps; DEVELOPING countries; LEARNING communities; BLENDED learning

Online Learning, 2024, Vol 28, Issue 3, p497

2472-5749

Academic Journal

10.24059/olj.v28i3.3463