ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the interesting dynamics of MOOCs in the Middle East. It is a part of the world with a young and growing population. It is also a mix of regions with extremes in technological connectivity ranging from fully modern to scarce availability. In addition, there are refugee camps where traditional education systems cannot work. Add to that a preference for local language content and the need for non-traditional skill-based offerings and it is not surprising that there is diverse participation in MOOCs with proliferating public and private support. Clearly, the Middle East MOOC landscape has tremendous potential to grow and meet the needs of its population provided that accreditation requirements are met along with common standards across the region. There is also a need for increased governmental involvement and support, diverse skill education offerings in Arabic, and employer involvement. Finally, this chapter highlights the opportunity for focused studies that trace current MOOCs in depth and analyzes the factors that are involved. It ends with vital recommendations for Arab-MOOC (A-MOOC).
