Dr. Haifa R. Alzuabi

Dr. Jamella H. Alotaibi

Dr. Mohammad Ali Alajami

College of Basic Education, The Public Authority of Applied Education and Training PAAET, Kuwait

Abstract: Recently E-learning has emerged as a new trend in Kuwait’s public higher education system, particularly The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) being credited as its pioneers. MOOCs may be beneficial in enhancing academic students’ knowledge and skills. As the cornerstones of the Knowledge Society are libraries and information centers, this paper reviews the literature on MOOCs and PAAET academic libraries’ potential role in integrating, creating, and developing MOOCs as an educational and training tool for students and other learners. The descriptive technique was employed to reflect the study’s nature and objectives and to address the research questions. The article describes the features and types of MOOCs in online learning settings and their pedagogical impact and uses in traditional classroom settings. The paper also analyses academic libraries’ role in MOOCs and recommends strategies to integrate, create, and develop quality MOOCs content by the academic libraries as an educational and training tool for students and other learners. Based on the literature reviews, the paper identifies the challenges and opportunities of integrating, creating, and developing MOOCs within PAAET academic libraries.

Keywords: E-learning, Distance-learning, MOOCs, Academic libraries, Kuwait, PAAET.