Massive open online courses (MOOC) within the framework of international developmental cooperation as a strategy to achieve sustainable development goals

Abstract

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) offer the opportunity to implement a quality education timetable for those who lack the means due to economic, travel, or temporary availability limitations. Because of this, some non-governmental development organizations (NGOs), working in Latin American countries, are trying to implement this type of educational model within their educational projects. This article presents a case study on the development of a MOOC within the framework of international development cooperation carried out by an NGO and the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua. The research aims to analyze the opportunities and challenges of free, open, online teaching as a tool for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, and explore new educational possibilities to train people and contribute to the development of the communities in which they live. From a qualitative approach, grounded theory has been used as a holistic methodology for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data, allowing the generation of theory in a systematic way. The most effective pedagogical models are evidenced to achieve the learning objectives and observe the challenges to be faced in order to achieve the effectiveness of MOOCs in this context. In conclusion, more applied research is needed to address the challenges that today’s societies, in times of pandemic, are facing at an educational and sustainability level.