MOOCs and free digital learning (FDL) are among the tools used to respond to the education needs of migrants and refugees in Europe. However, there is little guidance on how to design institutional initiatives and supporting policies in this area. This paper presents the main findings of a study exploring the potential of MOOCs and other FDL offers for the integration, inclusion and further learning of migrants and refugees in Europe and in neighbourhood regions in conflict. The MOOCs4inclusion study was designed and financed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and carried out between July-December 2016. Drawing from a literature review, focus groups with migrant/refugee learners in Europe and interviews with representatives of selected FDL initiatives, the study maps FDL initiatives, proposes a categorisation of them, and assesses both success factors and barriers to achieving the objective of migrant/refugee inclusion. Key to success in this area was found to be a combination of 'targeted' (aimed at migrants and refugees needs), 'blended' (mixing online and face-to-face instruction) 'and facilitated' (offering support services and mentoring) approaches. The study subsequently provides recommendations on how policymakers can support the design of FDL offers for migrants/refugees in the future.
The European Commission's overall Europe 2020 strategy [
In the last years the number of refugee asylum applications in EU has grown
exponentially. Consequently, the role of education for the integration and acquisition of
skills for migrants and refugees has become a priority in the European and national
policy agendas. In this context, the potential use of MOOCs and free digital learning
for developing the skills needed by migrants and refugees in host countries has been
the target of great interest. The accompanying document to the New Skills Agenda for
Europe states that “besides meeting refugees’ most urgent needs, such as
accommodation and food, there is a need to help improve their long-term situation, including by
helping them to quickly improve their skills in the language of their host countries, in
order to integrate into society, and to find employment” [
Despite the purported use of MOOCs and FDL to enhance access to education, there
is little information on how they can be better adapted to the specific needs of migrants
and refugees. Studies examining this field are starting to emerge. Two recent studies
include Moser-Mercer [
The MOOCs4inclusion project contributes to this research, approaching the issue
from a different angle. Its objective was to assess the potential of MOOCs and FDL
offers for the integration, inclusion and further learning of migrants and refugees in
Europe and in neighbourhood regions in conflict. The aim of the project was to
formulate policy recommendations for policy-makers, international organisations and other
investors who design and implement policies or programmes supporting migrant and
refugee learning and integration, using MOOCs or FDL. A five-month study
(July-December 2016) covering a fast-changing field, MOOCs4inclusion was designed by the
Human Capital and Employment unit of the Joint Research Centre of the European
Commission (JRC) and commissioned to a team of researchers headed by Elizabeth
Colucci. The final report [
The specific dimension of ICT, MOOCs and refugee/migrant inclusion has generated
renewed interest since the start of what is referred to as the refugee crisis in Europe,
notably when the number of asylum applications hit 1.3 million in 2015 [
The MOOCs movement, amongst other reasons, was developed to maximise access
to education. However, the inclusion of vulnerable groups (e.g. migrants and refugees)
into this movement has generally been neglected, which risks creating unbalanced
effects between vulnerable and non-vulnerable learners [
However, given that many international donors concur that digital learning offers
great promise for migrants and refugees [
In order to assess the adequacy of FDL for developing the skills needed by migrants and refugees and shed light about good design principles, the methodology for MOOCs4Inclusion included: • a literature review on this area; • a mapping of relevant initiatives featured in a searchable website (see: http://moocs4inclusion.org); and, • a SWOT analysis based on twenty-five semi-structured interviews with key informants from ten different FDL initiatives (Edraak, Funzi, Information Sweden, InZone, Jamiya project, KIRON Open Higher Education, LASER – Language, Academic Skills and E-learning Resources, MEET – Meeting the Health Literacy Needs of Immigrant Populations, Ready for Study, and Welcomm!) and four focus groups with 39 migrants/refugees in different situations and with different profiles (in Brussels, Nicosia, Berlin and Trollhattan).
Emphasis was placed on Europe and current migrants/refugees in Europe, though initiatives and examples were also taken from the Middle East and the Southern Mediterranean region. This approach embraced the diversity of the FDL initiative landscape, as the initiatives selected were of different natures, investment levels and often entailed different usage and types of FDL (for example, KIRON is a higher education initiative that utilises existing MOOCs and provides a segue into physical university programmes whereas Information Sweden is an only online platform that aggregates FDL resources for integration purposes). The focus groups reflected the needs of different migrants and refugees, depending on their background and where they stand in their migration journey. 3
MOOCs4inclusion demonstrated that there is a plethora of new FDL initiatives for migrants and refugees that vary in nature, design and purpose. The landscape is changing almost daily, which makes it difficult to pinpoint how effective they are. It must also be remembered that most initiatives have yet to produce data which assesses their impact. According to our mapping of FDL initiatives, they can be compared/categorised according to their design: • fully online/mobile versus ‘blended’ (a mix of online and face-to-face learning); • targeted to migrants/refugees versus general (for any public or user); and, • facilitated (providing support services and guidance to the learner) versus nonfacilitated.
The research found that targeted and blended approaches are the most effective way to engage migrant/refugee learners, at least in formal education, but also to some extent in language learning and civic integration-related FDL. This is true both inside and outside refugee camps, though initiatives that deliver FDL inside camps have additional considerations, such as the quality of the learning environment, connectivity and security.
In terms of purpose, the majority of the initiatives identified for the study were online or digital language courses (of which there are many) and civic integration-related online courses and digital projects (on topics ranging from democratic participation to understanding the local social security system). A number of higher education initiatives were also identified, which were experimenting with approaches that involved partnering with European universities to develop FDL content or re-appropriating existing MOOCs. Some of these initiatives employed displaced scholars to help develop online course content and teach/mentor and assist refugee students with their entry into higher education, even if their documentation was not yet in order.
It was found that language learning is a first-priority intervention for the general migrant and refugee community. Language learning and civic integration-related initiatives are commonly linked and the concept of ‘Content and Language Integrated Learning’ (CLIL) is gaining momentum. Furthermore, the largest growth area identified was mobile Apps for language learning and integration purposes.
The FDL landscape is developing fast. A number of competitions (‘hackathons’ and ‘innovation labs’) and open funding calls are being generated, and will continue to generate, which will help develop innovation in this field. The tech sector has taken a keen interest and, in some cases, refugees themselves are being empowered to develop their own solutions. 4
The MOOCs4inclusion study indicates that FDL for refugees and migrants has the potential to be a tool for integration and inclusion. The fact that 90 per cent of the world’s population own mobile phones, which this including migrants and refugees inside and outside of refugee camps and across different age groups, is a clear enabler. That being said, the one major take-away from MOOCs4inclusion is that research, awareness, coordination and impact assessment on this topic has only just begun and must be enhanced. Europe is in a transition period in many different ways and digitalisation is transforming the way we learn and communicate. At the same time, people themselves are on the move and the myriad of initiatives that are being developed can be an opportunity if good practices are shared and adopted. MOOCs4inclusion gives some recommendations to move in this direction. 4.1
It is clear that the FDL for the migrant/refugee field is ripe with new initiatives. Based on the findings of MOOCs4inclusion, designing an efficient and effective FDL offer or initiative for the inclusion of migrant and refugee target groups should consider the following:
Formal versus non-formal learning and stand-alone versus structured (with student intake) offers. Initiatives for formal education may require different investments than those intended for non-formal or informal education. Notably, it must be decided to what extent the initiative intends to target a specific learning group, via a student intake in a structured learning offer, or rather provide a FDL resource that can be broadly utilised in a non-formal way. Objectives and subsequent considerations for impact assessment may vary accordingly. ‘Targeted’, ‘blended’ and ‘facilitated’. Though this can be done in different formats, targeted, blended and facilitated approaches are unanimously seen as a means to enhance the success rate of any FDL initiative. The importance of mentorship and support should not be underestimated, as some learners are unfamiliar with digital learning and with the cultural learning environment in which they find themselves. Co-development and communication. FDL initiatives can benefit from engaging the learners in development. Reaching out to potential learning groups via social media and in-conjunction with partners present in camps, for example, are two paths. Embedding language learning into targeted interventions. Blending language training with content acquisition (and vice versa) can not only support civic integration and employability, but may also enhance the efficacy of formal education initiatives. The importance of mobile language learning through different media, such as Apps, platforms, YouTube videos, etc., should not be underestimated. These can be particularly useful to support the blended learning context.
Cooperation with other initiatives and sharing of good practice should be an integral part of FDL design. There is much experimentation in the FDL field for migrants and refugees at present. This must be further studied and leveraged. Investments should not be afraid of experimenting and testing through pilot initiatives.
Using Bologna tools. The Bologna architecture (recognition, quality assurance and qualification frameworks) and transparency tools (learning agreements, learning outcomes and ECTS) will be essential to facilitating the recognition of FDL initiatives and to align them to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). In particular, FDL offers in higher education should consider employing these tools from the start, and working with partner universities and national authorities to do so.
European accreditation practices regarding FDL. The FDL HE initiatives generally have a high focus on quality assurance for quality enhancement. Where necessary, it would be important for the European quality assurance (QA) agencies to be able to accredit FDL, which would heighten the awareness of FDL among recognition authorities and employers.
Generating income through small fees for certification and ‘badges’. Innovative models can help learners cover costs, such as engaging employers in the FDL offer. However, even though fees may be integral to the business model and sustainability, the FDL should be as free as possible to the leaner.
Promoting cross-sectorial, dynamic partnerships, engaging the public and private sector, European universities and migrant/refugee networks. Resource pooling, as well as public-private endeavours, will create a more solid financing structure and may be the basis for sustainability.
The EU role in supporting the development of initiatives. EU project and grant funding may be a useful tool to support bottom up solutions, such as dynamic partnerships of NGOs, public, private actors, educational institutions and tech developers. For example, the Erasmus+ programme, the Madad Fund, and European projects (Erasmus+) can be useful tools and favour the use of European tools, structures and frameworks for recognition.
The EC role in coordination, particularly in the European context. The risk of fragmentation of information, sources and initiatives has been identified throughout MOOCs4inclusion. The EC could play a role in uniting different actors, creating and supporting practice sharing forums. Coordination should be sought with other ‘unifying’ initiatives and platforms.
The EC role in communication. There is clearly a need to find collective ways to communicate the possibilities for FDL to refugees and migrants. Transparency and communication around the different initiatives is lacking and more must be understood about communication campaigns for the target groups. The EC would have clear addedvalue in supporting such transparency and communication.
Sharing data/Collaborative impact studies. There is clear will of a number of initiatives to share data and enhance transparency around impact assessment. The Platform of Al Fanar Media and ‘research.edraak’ should be noted. The EU and other actors in this field should consider joint impact assessment reports that incorporate and draw upon these initiatives.