Online courses have the potential to expand quality education and career training worldwide. Yet few people in developing countries access Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), despite the fact that MOOCs are open to the public and often free. Recognizing this unmet potential, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and CourseTalk, the largest source of MOOC reviews, have partnered to determine how online education can best help young adults across the developing world grow successful careers. The initiative will be driven by research on MOOC usage in Colombia, the Philippines and South Africa conducted by the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) with support from IREX, a nonprofit development organization. TASCHA will use a variety of research methods, including surveys, interviews, and an analysis of course reviews posted on CourseTalk by students around the world, to study awareness and usage of MOOCs among young adults in Colombia, the Philippines, and South Africa.
