source: http://www.statistiques-mondiales.com
ICT, SLOWING THE BRAIN DRAIN? According to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute, MOOC (massive open online courses) could help change the order of things, not only by disseminating knowledge but also by averting the brain drain, i.e. encouraging students not to settle abroad to continue studies, as they could now access such courses through MOOC and thereby acquire new knowledge and practical skills in their own country. Interview with Dr Salomon Tchameni Ngamo, Ph.D. in educational psychology, specialist in the incorporation of ICT into education and open distance training. In your opinion, are MOOC alone capable of preventing the brain drain from the African continent? In concrete terms, MOOC derive from distance training. They make it possible to learn from anywhere and at any time. They have numerous possibilities: possibility for a group of students to take part in an interactive form of distance training; availability of all traditional university educational resources; video presentations by a lecturer who is talking to the students; training theoretically free of charge; possibility of obtaining a qualification at an "affordable" price compared to on-site training abroad. Hence, MOOC offer flexibility and scale effects which have the potential
to resolve certain problems concerning access to education, such as distance, balancing work/family/ studies, and school fees. They generally offer course content originating from prestigious universities.
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They could thus undoubtedly reduce the number of people emigrating for their studies. In reality though, MOOC also pose major challenges: low exam success rate; large numbers of students; reliability of the certifying assessment methods; learning process requiring a great deal of autonomy; teaching quality (lack of rigour); low level of interaction or lack of communication between the tutor and students (limited feedback from the tutor); little or no interaction among students (no feedback from the teacher); poorly managed discussion forums, allowing students to sign up for or leave a course freely and sometimes very quickly; collaboration resources often rarely used by students. This is combined with a challenge in terms of the language of the MOOC which is different to the students' mother tongue. We therefore cautiously suggest that MOOC in themselves are not a cure-all for the brain drain, particularly regarding African countries: setting up MOOC
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requires major financial resources which are not yet compatible with the resources of States, universities and a large part of the population on the continent. Although MOOC in certain large American universities enjoy phenomenal popularity, with virtual groups and sometimes astounding numbers of students on a single course, this new form of distance education requires further consideration. Only time and future studies on this issue will determine the effect of qualifications or training achieved by means of MOOC on reducing the brain drain from Africa. At present, MOOC, like ICT in general, deserve credit for offering universal access to knowledge, and helping to democratize education. This is an undeniable contribution. We need to remain optimistic and carefully assess the effectiveness of MOOC in slowing the brain drain.
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