Diffusing corporate sustainability knowledge with online education: experiences from a massive open online course (MOOC) on sustainable fashion
Journal of International Education in Business
ISSN: 2046-469X
Article publication date: 15 March 2022
Issue publication date: 20 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to show how a massive open online course (MOOC) can be used as an educational tool to diffuse specialised corporate sustainability research globally to a broad range of learners.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on insights from the design and implementation of a sustainable fashion MOOC. The MOOC was launched in late 2019 on a global learning platform and has recently passed 40,000 enrolments (February 2022). The presentation of the MOOC draws on quantitative and qualitative data available to instructors on the global learning platform.
Findings
Based on the data about the learners and their use of the MOOC, this study demonstrates how MOOC can be a powerful tool to diffuse sustainability research to new groups of learners, who differ significantly from the typical students at business schools and universities in the West. Moreover, the findings also demonstrate how the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the MOOC’s popularity.
Originality/value
This study provides new empirical evidence on how sustainability research can be translated into online education material of relevance for a broad range of learners from around the world. Moreover, the study also points to the number of practical and structural challenges linked to the future mainstreaming of MOOCs and other types of online education material.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the multiple fashion experts and brands, which have made an indispensable contribution to the content development of the Sustainable Fashion MOOC. They would also like to acknowledge the technical assistance received from Teaching and Learning at Copenhagen Business School. Last, they would like to thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their useful comments in the process of maturing the manuscript.
Citation
Pedersen, E.R.G., Andersen, K.R. and Diaz Schiavon, A.L. (2022), "Diffusing corporate sustainability knowledge with online education: experiences from a massive open online course (MOOC) on sustainable fashion", Journal of International Education in Business, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 89-105. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIEB-02-2021-0026
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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