Unveiling the Effectiveness of Massive Open Online Courses at Abdelhamidibnbadis University, Algeria

Abstract

Abstract: Moving from the “Classical System” to the LMD one (Licence Master Doctorat), the Algerian University is facing several hurdles in teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL) which prevent it to fulfil the demands of higher education and globalization. One key element which can foster knowledge and raise the quality education is the advent of MOOCs. Massive open online courses (MOOCs), which are a set of courses that take place online and are open for every single person who seeks the best teaching quality of leading prestigious universities for free, are a new educational phenomenon that have rapidly immersed into higher education. This paper aims to investigate the potential of MOOCs at AbdelhamidIbn badis University Algeria , which can be brought to the Algerian University, as well as to scrutinize the students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards their integration- offline, in teaching and learning EFL. This research allows us to explore a new facet of learning and teaching EFL in the Algerian context. In this prospect, our main issue concerns the MOOCs’ implementation in the Algerian university. The study is conducted with 42 EFL students to get as much data as possible to validate or invalidate our main hypothesis. Accordingly, we have used a mixed method research using an experiment conducted in three stages to allow learners to self-direct their learning process. The findings show that MOOCs make students more productive and make teachers less centred. However, we recommend that teachers would promote for a good understanding of MOOCs.