Revisiting the Myth of Disruptive Innovation: An Exploratory Study of Chinese Learners\u27 Perception of Massive Open Online Courses

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are regarded as disruptive innovations for allowing open and free access to higher education resources for virtually unlimited populations. MOOCs have gained increasing prominence in China, especially since the government launched the nationwide initiative of building a lifelong learning society. In addition to the political support, innate advantages such as the enormous market potential for higher education and the mass of Internet users have been driving the rapid growth of MOOCs. However, the belief that MOOCs may be a disruptive innovation when opening up higher education seems to have abated. In order to lay the groundwork that guides the future MOOC initiatives, this qualitative study explored implications from the current situation of MOOCs in China via examining Chinese learner perceptions, given that learner perception is vital to reveal the effectiveness of MOOCs. From the perspective of Chinese learners, MOOCs merely interrupted their current epistemological value of learning and brought positive impacts to the landscape of the Chinese higher education system, rather than disrupting the current system. The research suggests embarking on several pertinent endeavors to maintain the effectiveness of MOOCs in China