Perception and use of massive open online courses among medical students in a developing country: multicentre cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo assess the prevalence of awareness and use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) among medical undergraduates in Egypt as a developing country, as well as identifying the limitations and satisfaction of using these courses.DesignA multicentre, cross-sectional study using a web-based, pilot-tested and self-administered questionnaire.SettingsTen out of 19 randomly selected medical schools in Egypt.Participants2700 undergraduate medical students were randomly selected, with an equal allocation of participants in each university and each study year.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPrimary outcome measures were the percentages of students who knew about MOOCs, students who enrolled and students who obtained a certificate. Secondary outcome measures included the limitations and satisfaction of using MOOCs through five-point Likert scale questions.ResultsOf 2527 eligible students, 2106 completed the questionnaire (response rate 83.3%). Of these students, 456 (21.7%) knew the term MOOCs or websites providing these courses. Out of the latter, 136 (29.8%) students had enrolled in at least one course, but only 25 (18.4%) had completed courses earning certificates. Clinical year students showed significantly higher rates of knowledge (p=0.009) and enrolment (p<0.001) than academic year students. The primary reasons for the failure of completion of courses included lack of time (105; 77.2%) and slow Internet speed (73; 53.7%). Regarding the 25 students who completed courses, 21 (84%) were satisfied with the overall experience. However, there was less satisfaction regarding student–instructor (8; 32%) and student–student (5; 20%) interactions.ConclusionsAbout one-fifth of Egyptian medical undergraduates have heard about MOOCs with only about 6.5% actively enrolled in courses. Students who actively participated showed a positive attitude towards the experience, but better time-management skills and faster Internet connection speeds are required. Further studies are needed to survey the enrolled students for a better understanding of their experience.

Awareness and use of massive open online courses among academic librarians in Ogun state, Nigeria

“…This agrees with the findings of Ecclestone (2013) a less moderate level of satisfaction but less satisfaction with student-instructor and studentstudent interaction (Aboshady et al, 2015).…”

“…Students can follow the course content at their own pace, lectures can be replayed for a better understanding of concepts, participants can interact with many others from around the world, and student's learning outcome is assessed through well-designed online quizzes and assessment tools (Aboshady et al, 2015;Ecclestone, 2013). Advocates of MOOCs consider them a means of providing quality education through the virtual classroom.…”

“…Students undertaking practical courses had a higher awareness of MOOCs than those taking theory-based courses. The high turnover rate was attributed to lack of incentive, failure to understand the content material, slow internet speed, and lack of support (Aboshady et al, 2015;Garrido, Koepke, Andersen, & Garrido, 2016;Hew & Cheung, 2014).…”

A MOOC approach for training researchers in developing countries

“…For example, Aboshady et al (2015) found a high awareness of MOOCs in a survey of Egyptian medical students: 30% had enrolled in at least one MOOC. Research on MOOCs in developing country contexts is, however, sparse (Castillo, Lee, Zahra & Wagner, 2015) and mostly limited to participation of developing country users in western MOOCs (Garrido et al, 2016;Christensen et al, 2013;Ho et al, 2015), where there tends to be low participation from Asia and especially Africa (Liyanagunawardena, Williams & Adams, 2013).…”

Who Is the English as a Second Language Speaker in this MOOC?

“…The MOOC participants also stated that subtitles in English were helpful. Contrarily, for example, Aboshady et al [17] did not find English as a significant barrier in their investigation of Egyptian medical students' perspective towards a MOOC delivered in English (less than 20% of the students struggled). It may be due to medical students' advanced level of education.…”