MOOC's (Massive Open Online Courses) allow individuals to expand boundaries, enrolling massive numbers of students with potential quality learning materials and resources that may not otherwise exist in underserved communities. The proliferation of MOOCs holds the potential to enhance access to quality learning materials for those who lack these resources, such as young adults in low-income communities; African Americans are overrepresented in these communities. There has been little attention to investigating how African Americans in higher education currently use MOOCs for personal and career development, and even less attention to how these young adults become aware of MOOCs. This empirical study identifies how African Americans from underserved communities in New Jersey became aware of MOOCs and their uses of it. Findings in this research are essential for education providers, economists, educational technology developers, even politicians, for developing strategies to raise awareness of MOOCs in underserved communities. Such strategies could enhance access to potential quality educational resources, which could ultimately decrease education disparities.

Keywords

MOOCs · educational advancement · educational disparities