The Role of MOOC in Higher Education during Coronavirus Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Abstract

During the novel Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), all aspects of life have been affected by this fatal disease including education sector. Educational institutions in most countries have been closed and directed to shift to e-learning. In most cases Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were not prepared to deliver their entire programs online. Thus, to reposition themselves some HEIs have headed for MOOC to help them progress and survive. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to identify the role of MOOC during Coronavirus pandemic in the light of published literature. In addition, this study answers the question ―what is the role of MOOC in higher education during coronavirus lockdown?‖. Data were collected from different sources such as Google Scholar, Mendeley, Sage, ScienceDirect, IEEEXplore, and ResearchGate. Categories such as ―MOOC in Higher Education and Coronavirus‖, ―MOOC and Covid-19‖ were part of the selected parameters. 21 articles were found to be relevant to the purpose of the study. The findings reveal a significant role of e-learning such as MOOC during the outbreak of covid-19. Since there is no sufficient research on this field due to the novelty of the pandemic; therefore, some researchers in the reviewed articles recommend further research in this area.