'Institute of Information Technologies and Learning Tools of NAES of Ukraine'
Abstract
The article deals with the problem of influence of information and communication technologies on the higher education development. The peculiarities and dynamics of the MOOC expansion in the international educational space are determined, the experience of MOOC usage in the conditions of transnational education has been analysed, and the MOOC functions in Ukrainian educational reality have been investigated. The following methods were used in research: content analysis of scientific literature to clarify the essence of the research main categories; online courses netnography for studying their specifics; questionnaire, statistical processing and graphical representation of the study results concerning the MOOC functions in domestic educational practices. The essence of the term “MOOC” is clarified, the concept of their construction as well as features of technological functioning is revealed. The history of MOOC development in foreign countries (USA, Australia, Japan, Europe) and Ukraine is analysed. MOOC emergence and expansion is associated with digital humanities development and digital humanistic pedagogy establishment in the international educational space. The research results, which define the MOOC functions in the Ukraine educational practices, namely, ensuring openness, enriching the content of learning, individualization and inter-activation are characterized. Five main problems of the MOOC implementation are highlighted and investigated: 1) the presence of two different MOOC types; 2) the role of a teacher in MOOC; 3) participation of students in MOOC; 4) understanding and usage of the “mass” character of MOOC; 5) the boundary between the MOOC openness and control over them. Unprecedented popularity and opportunities for reaching the student audience have prompted international organizations and their education departments to initiate global forums to discuss the urgent economic, social, technological, psychological and pedagogical issues that arose during the MOOC introduction, as well as to adopt regulatory documents to ensure the quality of MOOC provision
