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Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provide new prospects for the delivery of online education and training. MOOCs have emerged as a recent path-breaking educational paradigm promoting openness in education besides making it more accessible to all irrespective of time and space (Chatterjee and Nath, 2014), MOOCs provide lower-cost access to education to those who are unable to attend conventional classes. Learners can enroll for and “attend” virtual classrooms from the comfort of their home or office and earn course completion certificates from well-recognised institutions. MOOCs serve as an alternative paradigm to formal education, they are efficient tools for the development of knowledge and skill development (Chatterjee and Nath, 2014). The impact of MOOCs on education and training can be seen and felt globally in diverse disciplines of knowledge. Al-Imarah and Shields (2019) view MOOCs as special vehicles that leverage Information and Commutation Technologies (ICTs) to provide university-level courses to virtually anyone in the world with an internet connection.
Hyman (2012) argues that MOOCs are useful in scaling educational content to large numbers of learners with minimal costs thus offering a more egalitarian and cost-effective alternative to traditional university education (Hyman, 2012; Gore, 2014). Dey (2020) views Online Distance e-Learning (ODeL) through the use of emerging digital technologies as a solution to knowledge management in turbulent times. According to the author many institutions across China, India and other parts of the globe, through rapid digitization of their teaching-learning procedures, are proudly advertising their world-class infrastructures.
Iniesto, McAndrew, Minocha, and Coughlan, (2020) highlighted that the benefits of MOOCs when compared to other online learning opportunities, included, openness within a structured learning framework, low cost of learning, the scope for individual planning in terms of the learner’s time and at their preferred pace and place, opportunities for social learning, and the chance to gain new skills and knowledge. However, the challenges of providing access to MOOCs in developing countries are impeded by lack of affordable internet connectivity. Lobelle, Hounkonnou, Donadje, and Oyetola, (2015) highlighted the importance of establishing a National Research and Education Network (NREN) to provide accessible access to affordable internet connectivity for all universities. Through NRENs, academic institutions will be able to use MOOCs at an affordable or low-cost price as well as share huge amounts of data (Lobelle, Hounkonnou, Donadje, and Oyetola 2015). Chisita and Rusero (`2017) described NRENs as a magic formula for the democratization of access to scholarly communication in Africa. According to the authors, the strength of NRENs lies in their social capital in the form of radical partnerships at a regional and international level, the use of common standards and protocols in order to build a common gateway to support the information needs of researchers and scholars. NRENs provide the needed technology that delivers MOOCs for the enhancement of access to scholarship.
ARM institutions in the African context have encountered several challenges over the years, which resulted in poor governance (Tsabedze & Ngoepe, 2019; Nengomasha, 2013; Ngoepe & Van der Walt, 2009; Wamukoya & Mutula 2005). This challenge is compounded by the lack of infrastructure, outdated legislation for managing electronic records and limited HEIs offering ARM education (Ngoepe & Keakopa 2011; Ngoepe & Saurombe 2016; Onyancha, Ngoepe & Maluleka 2015). There are a number of factors that undermine the success of ARM field in Africa, for example, preference for the ARM graduate-level education, low numbers of qualified ARM personnel, the paucity of research, poor quality of educational materials and outdated programmes, lack of critical thinking educational methodologies (Katuu 2015:107). There are few HEIs offering ARM programmes in Africa (InterPARES, 2018). The absence of this type of educational environment makes it extremely difficult to prepare graduates. Wamukoya and Mutula (2005:75) cite the following challenges that are encountered in the ARM field: