Abstract:

The recent proliferation of massive open online courses (MOOCs) demonstrates that technology continues to transform education in both the traditional and online settings. In May 2014, Queen Rania Foundation (QRF) for Education and Development of Jordan launched a non-profit massive open online course  portal, in the Arabic language, called Edraak to promote knowledge in the Arab world. The course portal is hosted by EdX-platform. In 2016 Al-Quds Open University (QOU) introduced its first MOOCs called Remedial Math (RM) and Remedial Statistics (RS) through Edraak platform; the courses were designed in a simplified manner to provide learners with the fundamental math and statistical information. For almost 14 months, the courses teams had spent over 8000 working hours in designing and planning the MOOCs in a way to integrate technology and pedagogy. The courses were sent out on weekly basis where learners watched short-video lectures online and completed the assignments that were automatically graded. Learners were also able to get immediate feedback if questions arose. Over 18,000 nationwide learners, with a variety of qualifications such as PhDs, Mas, BS, middle school education, etc., enrolled in the course from 10 different Arab countries. An official certificate from Edraak and QOU was issued to any learner upon request. A high 89% of learners declaredthat they achieved their goals of joining both courses.

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