Moocs and universities for sustainable development
A fading nexus
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21337899 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Subas P Dhakal (0000-0001-8507-3206, University of New England, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 407-426 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Review of Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-8566 • E-ISSN: 1573-0638 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11159-025-10176-z |
| OpenAlex | W7138337210 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 61 |
The quality of, and access to, education for sustainable development (ESD) are at the forefront of e-learning. Assuming that there are opportunities to judiciously examine the potential of massive open online courses (MOOCs) to foster ESD, this article carries out a multi-method scoping review to identify emerging research themes and analyse gaps in the literature, based on: (1) an environmental scan of sustainable development-related MOOCs; (2) a rapid bibliometric analysis (RBA) of literature on the nexus between MOOCs, universities and sustainable development; and (3) a case study of a MOOC entitled “Globalisation and Sustainable Development”. The main contribution of this article to the field is to demonstrate the scale of sustainable development-related MOOCs, the marginal impact of universities in fostering the 2030 Agenda through MOOCs, and the challenges faced by university administrations in utilising MOOCs as a vehicle to advance ESD during a period of financial uncertainty. Based on these findings, the article discusses the potential and pitfalls of MOOCs in fostering ESD in the post-pandemic world
Education for sustainable development · Field (mathematics) · Nexus (standard) · Quality (philosophy) · Scale (ratio) · Sustainable development · Education and Vocational Training · Online Learning and Analytics · Sustainability in Higher Education
Education for Sustainable Development Goals
Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism
The Mooc pivot
Quest for a sustainable university
Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach
T-Mooc for Initial Teacher Training in Digital Competences
Encode4OpenU and the Preparation and Delivery of an International Collaborative Mooc
Can Online Short Courses Foster Business Education for Sustainable Development
Sustainable development in higher education in Nordic countries
Understanding continuance intention among Mooc participants
Ageing population and society
Logics of business education for sustainability
Tutors and gatekeepers in sustainability Moocs
Teachers’ roles in light of massive open online courses (Moocs)
Scoping studies
Sustainable learning and education
Learning potentials and educational challenges of massive open online courses (Moocs) in lifelong learning
| Highly cited | No |
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