Recent practical initiatives and academic research have signaled optimism for the use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as an alternative model for education in the developing world. At the same time, anecdotal evidence and observation have pointed to a lack of courses offered in languages other than English as one potential challenge for global use of MOOCs. We present a first empirical attempt to characterize the linguistic diversity of MOOCs and understand the resulting implications for the use of MOOCs in international development. We find significant differences in quantities and types of MOOCs available in English and non-English languages. This finding indicates that MOOCs do not yet provide a broad array of educational opportunities for people without adequate English-language proficiency and therefore, MOOCs may have limited potential for use in international development outside English-speaking populations at present. In recognition of efforts to increase linguistic diversity of MOOC offerings, we review and describe two types of initiatives, those to translate existing MOOCs and those to create new MOOCs in non-English languages, initiatives we identify as scaling-up or scaling-down MOOCs respectively. To situate our findings in development discourse, we turn to Sen's capability approach (1999) to consider implications for the use of MOOCs in socioeconomic development. KeywordsMassive open online courses, MOOCs, information and communications technologies for development, ICT4D

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We analyze information and communication technology in education initiatives in two South American countries: Bolivia and Uruguay. Utilizing qualitative data collection and analysis methods, we construct a comparative case study to trace the path of how national discourses—in response to the idea of globalization and initiatives promoting computers in education—were translated into policy goals, strategic implementation plans, and teaching and learning practices and outcomes. We document the role of the selected information and communication technology’s materiality in terms of portability and connectivity along this translation path. Our findings point to the importance of considering national discourse, often overlooked in information and communication technology in education studies, when examining initiative success and failure, and of conceptualizing materiality as more than merely the infrastructural foundation upon which information and communication technology in education initiatives are built. Understanding the role that materiality plays in interaction with national discourse may be especially important in guiding successful information and communication technology in education initiatives in developing countries, where financial resources are limited.

We take an institutional logics perspective to explain why designreality gaps persist in ICT4D projects. From case study interviews at development agencies at work on two national education projects, one in Argentina and one in Uruguay, we show how two main institutional logics strongly shaped thought and action among development staff. The presence of an education sector professionalism logic aimed at creating real changes in education was not surprising because both projects were directed towards the education domain. Yet, this logic in many ways was secondary to a technology sector professionalism logic that focused on superior performance in product development, solving problems with technology, and evaluating technology uptake. We show how these two logics competed over time and within projects. We conclude by noting that an institutional logics perspective helps explain the persistence of design-reality gaps by making clear, for example, why solutions such as participatory design may fall short because they fail to come to terms with competing logics.

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