Give MOOCs some credit: a system-divergent innovation accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC at a Swedish university
Lifelong learning in higher education (HE), epitomised by Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), is valuable for re-skilling and upskilling Sweden’s industry workforce in (advanced) digital competencies to remain globally innovative and competitive. Meanwhile, Sweden’s non-regulatory approach towards...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
|
| Series: | Cogent Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2529421 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849420216959762432 |
|---|---|
| author | Hugo-Henrik Hachem Mattias Wiggberg Tanya Osborne Jan Gulliksen Fredrik Heintz |
| author_facet | Hugo-Henrik Hachem Mattias Wiggberg Tanya Osborne Jan Gulliksen Fredrik Heintz |
| author_sort | Hugo-Henrik Hachem |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lifelong learning in higher education (HE), epitomised by Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), is valuable for re-skilling and upskilling Sweden’s industry workforce in (advanced) digital competencies to remain globally innovative and competitive. Meanwhile, Sweden’s non-regulatory approach towards MOOC deployment in HE meant that their accreditation by universities faces strenuous systemic challenges. However, since 2019, one university began accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC following a nationally unique system-divergent innovation, which this case study unpacks by responding to three research questions. First, what were the underlying processes of this system-divergent innovation, and how and why did it occur? Second, what were its key success factors? Furthermore, how sustainable is it? This reflexive case study draws on eight semi-structured interviews with university staff and faculty, which were deductively analysed based on topical literature and concepts from system-divergent innovation and structuration theory. Generated themes were called challenges-as-opportunities and spanned bureaucracy, finances, technological infrastructures, deroutinisation, internal conflicts and external pressure. These themes and their discussion inform policy on three tiers: governmental, sectoral, and institutional. This original work highlights that mmMOOCs’ accreditation by universities can play a significant role in bridging lifelong learning and HE in Sweden, and calls for digital maturity and national contagion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d76f314ac44743638fc4d6760cefdf09 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2331-186X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-d76f314ac44743638fc4d6760cefdf092025-08-20T03:31:48ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Education2331-186X2025-12-0112110.1080/2331186X.2025.2529421Give MOOCs some credit: a system-divergent innovation accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC at a Swedish universityHugo-Henrik Hachem0Mattias Wiggberg1Tanya Osborne2Jan Gulliksen3Fredrik Heintz4Department of Computer and Information Science, Division of Artificial Intelligence and Integrated Computer Systems, Reasoning and Learning Lab, Linköping University, Linköping, SwedenDepartment of Industrial Economics and Management, School of Industrial Engineering and Management, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SwedenScience, Technology and Society, Department of Technology, Management, and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, SwedenDepartment of Media Technology and Interaction Design, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Computer and Information Science, Division of Artificial Intelligence and Integrated Computer Systems, Reasoning and Learning Lab, Linköping University, Linköping, SwedenLifelong learning in higher education (HE), epitomised by Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), is valuable for re-skilling and upskilling Sweden’s industry workforce in (advanced) digital competencies to remain globally innovative and competitive. Meanwhile, Sweden’s non-regulatory approach towards MOOC deployment in HE meant that their accreditation by universities faces strenuous systemic challenges. However, since 2019, one university began accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC following a nationally unique system-divergent innovation, which this case study unpacks by responding to three research questions. First, what were the underlying processes of this system-divergent innovation, and how and why did it occur? Second, what were its key success factors? Furthermore, how sustainable is it? This reflexive case study draws on eight semi-structured interviews with university staff and faculty, which were deductively analysed based on topical literature and concepts from system-divergent innovation and structuration theory. Generated themes were called challenges-as-opportunities and spanned bureaucracy, finances, technological infrastructures, deroutinisation, internal conflicts and external pressure. These themes and their discussion inform policy on three tiers: governmental, sectoral, and institutional. This original work highlights that mmMOOCs’ accreditation by universities can play a significant role in bridging lifelong learning and HE in Sweden, and calls for digital maturity and national contagion.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2529421MOOCsSystem-Divergent innovationhigher educationdigitalisationlifelong learningSweden |
| spellingShingle | Hugo-Henrik Hachem Mattias Wiggberg Tanya Osborne Jan Gulliksen Fredrik Heintz Give MOOCs some credit: a system-divergent innovation accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC at a Swedish university Cogent Education MOOCs System-Divergent innovation higher education digitalisation lifelong learning Sweden |
| title | Give MOOCs some credit: a system-divergent innovation accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC at a Swedish university |
| title_full | Give MOOCs some credit: a system-divergent innovation accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC at a Swedish university |
| title_fullStr | Give MOOCs some credit: a system-divergent innovation accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC at a Swedish university |
| title_full_unstemmed | Give MOOCs some credit: a system-divergent innovation accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC at a Swedish university |
| title_short | Give MOOCs some credit: a system-divergent innovation accrediting an AI mass-market MOOC at a Swedish university |
| title_sort | give moocs some credit a system divergent innovation accrediting an ai mass market mooc at a swedish university |
| topic | MOOCs System-Divergent innovation higher education digitalisation lifelong learning Sweden |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2529421 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hugohenrikhachem givemoocssomecreditasystemdivergentinnovationaccreditinganaimassmarketmoocataswedishuniversity AT mattiaswiggberg givemoocssomecreditasystemdivergentinnovationaccreditinganaimassmarketmoocataswedishuniversity AT tanyaosborne givemoocssomecreditasystemdivergentinnovationaccreditinganaimassmarketmoocataswedishuniversity AT jangulliksen givemoocssomecreditasystemdivergentinnovationaccreditinganaimassmarketmoocataswedishuniversity AT fredrikheintz givemoocssomecreditasystemdivergentinnovationaccreditinganaimassmarketmoocataswedishuniversity |