MOOC globe & "Are there Bulgaria-based MOOCs?" - an AI answer

Yora ATANASOVA
Sep 12
4 min read

Updated: Sep 13

Searching the Internet for lists, descriptions and rankings of MOOCs around the world, I naturally looked for Bulgarian ones, for those based in Bulgaria. I found 1-2 that I saved somewhere for further review, but they weren't what I expected. I asked tlAI and was surprised to get a pretty long general overview. It would have taken me not hours, but days, while AI handles such searches, reviews and comparisons in seconds!

However, this time, unlike previous MOOC searches, I found very impressive lists of MOOCs not only in the US, but also in Europe and Asia. They are on a magnificent site, apparently with a predominantly Asian team, named ClassCentral. The content is much more impressive than "class" in the name; they work on a grand scale and from my superficial reviews so far it seems to me to be worthy of great attention and taking advantage of the learning options it provides!

MOOC globe

I was so impressed and delighted that I abandoned my writing attempts on the subject on the YKY-Bistra website for now, and directly copied and pasted their lists of MOOCs from North America, Europe and Great Britain, Asia and China (separately presented and very long) onto the page "eCourses & MOOC Globe".

https://ykybistra.wixsite.com/yky-bistra/ecourses-globe

Come to YKY-Bistra to study MOOCs together- everyone will learn what they want and from where they want, and the group will share reflections on what they have studied. We will talk about the courses, our impressions and our thoughts on them each week...

It's worth it . I have taken 3 or 4 MOOCs on Coursera.org, and they were all wonderful. One, in Social Psychology, gave me even more, in some respects, than the regular course at Sofia University, one or two semesters. For example, some of the weeks included videos of famous social psychological experiments, about which I had only read brief descriptions somewhere during my studies - like Milgram's experiment...

The American list on ClassCentral is quite short, with only the most popular MOOCs; but they have got truly multi-million attendants. The European one can probably be expanded as well. I assume that the authors have selected what they considered most worthy of attention.

On the other hand, the Asian and Chinese ones are quite long - there MOOCs have become part of the state educational policy...

ClassCentral is a young team, apparently from Asia, and mostly from India. They have gathered in one place valuable information about MOOCs today - lists along with ratings, reviews, impressions, etc. It is worth taking a look. And very useful for everyone, be they a current or future student, or just someone who loves learning and knows the benefits and pleasure of it.

With one detail: the site is in English, and many of the MOOCs in the lists are in the language of the country; but there are also quite a few in English. There are also a Ukrainian MOOC and a Russian one there. A huge number of universities, hundreds of millions of people who have gone through MOOCs around the world...

I really appreciate boutique courses, learner-centred and tailor-made. And it is part of and the fundament of YKY. Along with that, I highly appreciate the accessibility of university courses from leading (and not so) lecturers from leading (and not so) universities and training businesses from all over the world. The two things are not antagonists. On the contrary, diversity - with knowledge and preservation of one's own identity and culture, and the opportunities for choice are the best thing.

"Are there Bulgaria-based MOOCs?" - an AI answer

Yes, Bulgaria participates in the MOOC landscape through projects like REBUILT and offers resources like the Edno School for learning Bulgarian, but there isn't a single dominant platform dedicated solely to Bulgarian-based MOOCs. While Bulgarian universities are interested in MOOCs and have implemented them in some areas, the integration of these platforms into the Bulgarian higher education system is still developing and faces challenges.

Bulgarian Participation in MOOCs

Project-based MOOCs:

The REBUILT project offers MOOCs in Bulgarian, available in multiple languages, including Bulgarian, until 2029.

University Initiatives:

Bulgarian universities are exploring and have integrated MOOCs, recognizing their advantages for higher education, though there are still challenges.

Bulgarian Language and Culture

Dedicated Learning Platforms:

While not traditional MOOCs, platforms like Edno School provide free online materials to help users learn Bulgarian.

International Platforms:

For those interested in Bulgarian culture, universities like the Università di Bologna offer MOOCs covering Bulgarian geography, culture, and history.