sMOOC: A pedagogical model for social inclusion

Abstract

In this article, the results of analysing the sMOOC launched by European project E-learning, Communication, Open Data (ECO) are displayed, from the perspective of social inclusion. Firstly, it considers people excluded from the system and, on a second stage, attention is brought towards those agents acting as social mediators. A quantitative methodology of analysis was applied to the interactions occurred in a sample of 1,361 participants at ECO Portal's course “Education Innovation and Professional Development. Possibilities and Limits of the ICTs”. Results show that ECO has massively promoted sMOOC-based training and has become present, not only in Europe, but also in a wider geographical spread, particularly in developing countries. Such training offering has been highly valued by participants in aspects related to the knowledge acquired and them feeling active role-players in the education process, which increases their commitment towards sharing that training in diverse social environments and, as a result, makes a significant impact on social inclusion processes.