Reshaping Teachers' e-Training through MOOCs in Pakistan

Abstract

Open education has come forward as a contemporary vogue across all areas of education including teacher training over the globe. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are trending concept that aim to fulfill the prospects of digital openness for providing e-Training to university teachers by utilizing novel open learning environments. MOOCs make it possible for large number of teachers to get involved in worldwide collaborative learning experiences through open e-Training courses. As technology adaptation in education is relatively slower in Pakistan, MOOCs are still uncommon in teacher training practices. This paper contemplates the significance of MOOCs in teachers' e-Training. This study also explores the awareness and utilization level of university teachers for MOOCs, and compares the perceptions of teachers of public and private universities about benefits and obstacles for utilizing MOOCs in e-Trainings and their willingness to participate in e-Training through MOOCs. 50 Teachers from five public universities and five private universities were taken as a sample on the basis of familiarity and participation in online training programs. Existing literature and research studies were reviewed to find out the significance of MOOCs in teacher training programs. A survey questionnaire was administered to explore the awareness and utilization level of university teachers for MOOCs. Findings revealed that MOOCs have gained substantial importance in university teacher trainings of most of the countries of the world, whereas university teachers of Pakistan are not well aware of potential and use of MOOCs in education. Also, teachers of private universities tend to show more interest and inclination towards using MOOCs for their professional e-Training courses. It was recommended to use MOOCs in professional e-Training of university teachers of Pakistan to align them with the global trends of open education and also provide them opportunities to learn in collaborative environments for professional elevation in a global age.