ABSTRACT
The localisation of knowledge occurs in several dimensions. First, the courses provided by Chinese Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are closely related to China's own culture, literature, arts, history, society and medicine. Second, these courses are provided for local and regional learners. Third, they are delivered in the Chinese language instead of English. Even the courses from global MOOC providers have been translated into Chinese to accommodate Chinese learners. MOOCs enable local institutions to reposition themselves to reach a much broader and wider spectrum of Chinese learners in the age of internet learning. MOOCs, with their open platforms and contents, have served as an alternative to the current physical infrastructure of higher education. The Chinese model of MOOCs shows how global and local knowledge systems can work together for local institutions and learners, and how MOOCs have decentred knowledge production and localised knowledge in the globalised era.
