Thai MOOC sustainability: Alternative credentials for digital age learners

Abstract

This paper investigates the in progress work involving Thai MOOC as relates to an institutional plan that oversees the management of the organization. Thai MOOC is the national MOOC provider in Thailand established in 2017. At present, there are more than 94,000 members with 153,981 registrations and 300 courses (mooc.thaicyberu.go.th). The policy of Thai MOOC is to focus on creating sustainable lifelong learning. In order to make Thai MOOC sustainable, the project involves working with network partners, including government organizations and universities to respond to and accommodate the needs of Thai people with different self-development goals. Since the platform has become fully functional, Thai MOOC has four progressive strategies to manage and expand the user base: (1) expanding through 9 regional university networks (courses are created by universities across the country, focusing on subjects that reflect the uniqueness of the region), (2) receiving funding from the TCU Target Program, focusing on courses in accordance with the needs from universities and government organizations, (3) creating cooperation with educational institutions and related agencies both domestically and internationally by signing an MOU to jointly develop courses from government organizations to promote lifelong learning, and (4) giving the opportunity for other organizations to request use of the Thai MOOC platform to publish courses already produced, focusing on organizations that use Thai MOOC without profit. Thai MOOC expects that the practice will help to add alternative credentials and increase certificate value sustainably. Meanwhile, credit bank and credit transfer are currently being planned with the Thailand digital economy policy as relates to the educational sustainability. © 2019 CEUR-WS. All rights reserved.