Towards Sustainable Learning Materials for MOOC in Poor Network Environments

Abstract

Videos are highly instrumental to the learning experience in many eLearning platforms. Lecture videos have become crucial to the success of any Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). However, conventional lecture videos are typically large computer files. Such videos are relatively enormous in file-size compared to other learning materials in MOOCs. With a slightly long runtime, a high-definition video file transfer comes with a high price. It is rather much expensive and time-consuming over poor or sparse networks. This commonly occurring situation significantly affects the learning experience. Online learners encounter intermittent connectivity or even offline more often during a learning session. In such situations, we claim that the prevalence of videos in MOOCs remains vague and subtle in poor network environments. In the file transfer process, it is not unusual for a video to face constant network disruptions. Therefore, this research work urges to review the provision of alternative, but more effective multimedia. Such multimedia are instead proposed to be much smaller in file-size. However, the multimedia should retain the essential criterion of a video-based format. The new materials are thus deemed less dependent on the bandwidth. This paper focuses on improvising video-based materials during a real-time learning session. Of course, be derived from their original lecture videos. We argue that this approach helps to improve the learning experience, especially for learners situated in low bandwidth areas. Network related issues such as long-wait buffering, low-quality streaming, or slow downloading are therefore tackled by using unconventional materials. The main benefit is to achieve and attain uninterrupted learning session even when the MOOC learner steps into offline or out of reach area. Also, the approach supplements images and audio to support sustainable eLearning – whenever wherever.