SPOC and teacher training: Bibliometric and pedagogical approach on Scopus and Web of Science

Abstract

E-learning, linked to the incorporation of information and communication technologies in education, has been a revolution for training processes. In this sense, the small private online courses (SPOC) become a resource with which to design training actions for teachers. This study, through a pedagogical and bibliometric analysis, aims to know the characteristics of SPOCs as a training resource and the evolution of its scientific production in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The results reflect a significant increase in scientific production in recent years, highlighting the interest created in university institutions and in the areas of computer science and social sciences. Among the pedagogical reasons, we find the wide academic offer, the personalization of the training process or the improvement of the digital competence when being formed through SPOC. In short, the growth of SPOCs is related to the advantages that their didactic characteristics bring in an educational context in which technologies play a key role, so it becomes a resource of interest for teacher training.