The Viral Nature of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in Open and Distance Learning: Discourses of Quality, Mediation and Control

Abstract

Open Access (OA) is one component of a global shift toward openness, participation, transparency and accessibility noted not only in business, government, non-governmental organisations, but in educational sectors as well. Within education, the emergence in some disciplines of the dominance of OA publishing of scholarly papers and articles in OA journals is the most visible evidence of this trend toward massive open online courses (MOOCs). Lifelong learners can now use various tools to build and manage their own learning networks, and MOOCs may provide opportunities to test such networks. This study asynchronously collected data in form of electronic textual discourses from University of South Africa (Unisa), Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) and University of Botswana (UB) academic staff through the use of the bulletin board system (BBS), and analysed it using a qualitative deconstructive discourse analysis (QDDA) underpinned by a case study design. Trends from MOOC deconstructive discourse analysis (QDDA) indicate that MOOC virality is unstoppable, but there is need to understand how pedagogy and an organisational approach to online and offline learning will lead to improve the quality of mediation outcomes, control and experiences for both students and lecturers.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n3p665