This paper examines the problems and potential of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Open Education Resources (OER) in the global South. Employing a systematic review of the research into the use of open online learning technologies in Southern contexts, we identify five interrelated themes emerging from the literature: 1) access to the Internet; 2) participant literacies; 3) online pedagogies; 4) the context of content; and 5) the flow of knowledge between North and South. The significance of Southern voice and participation is addressed in the final section, which concludes that on balance, the literature offers a qualified endorsement of the potential and actualities of MOOCs and OER in the global South. The ongoing tendency for the research literature to pay little heed to the agency of the social actors with the most to gain from these innovations is noted, opening up space for further research into the lived experience of online learners in the global South.

Purpose To investigate the influence of shorter, more frequent rest breaks during simulated work (outdoor mining) in the heat on physical performance and psychophysiological responses. Methods On separate days, thirteen males undertook two 225 min simulation trials in the afternoon (12.00–3.45 pm) including 180 min of treadmill walking at a constant rate of perceived exertion of 11 (or ‘light’) on the 6–20 Borg scale in a heat chamber (37 °C, 40% RH), interspersed with 45 min of rest breaks in an air-conditioned room (22 °C, 35% RH). Rest breaks in the current practice (CP) trial occurred at 1.00 and 2.30 pm (30 min and 15 min, respectively), while in the experimental (EXP) trial were at 1.00 (15 min), 1.45, 2.25 and 3.05 pm (10 min each). Results Total distance covered was not different (p = 0.086) between CP (12,858 ± 2207 m) and EXP (12,094 ± 2174 m). Heart rate, thermal sensation and thermal comfort were significantly higher at 120–180 min (all p < 0.05) in CP compared to EXP. Moderate- to large-effect sizes (Hedge’s g) between trials were also found at 120–180 min for core temperature (g = 0.50 and 0.99, respectively). No differences were found between trials for cognitive performance, perceived fatigue, urine specific gravity, or total water intake (p > 0.05). Conclusion Shorter, more frequent rest breaks have little impact on physical performance, thermal strain and exercise-related sensations. Current practices should remain in place until further studies can be conducted on an actual mine site during summer where outdoor workers perform their work duties.

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This paper details the experiences of a group of Timorese English language teachers from Lorosa’e English Language Institute (LELI) in Dili, Timor-Leste, who participated in a professional development MOOC entitled Teaching for Success: Lessons and Teaching between March and April 2017. Drawing on the pedagogical principles of blended learning; participants engaged with online course content, and once a week met as a study group to view some video content together and discuss issues arising from it. The authors draw on participant observation, individual and focus group interviews and post-course author reflections to outline the benefits and challenges of doing blended MOOCs in Dili, and propose that they can provide local English language teachers opportunities for subject area knowledge building, language literacy development and more general lifelong learning.

International scholarships are an established mode of aid distribution for many donor countries and a life-changing educational opportunity for recipients from the global South. This article draws upon ethnographic field research centred on Dili, Timor-Leste, focussing on case studies of a scholarship applicant, a scholar, and an alumnus. It employs the concept of Southern agency, investigating individual practices shaped by influences that both constrain and enable action, namely local infrastructure, family and kinship groups, literacies, and the colonial legacy. Scholarship places are limited and extremely competitive, while assigning a moral imperative for alumni to learn and return to contribute to local development, often resulting in the re-production of socially normed roles echoing the colonial era. The global upheaval in higher education resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic emphasises the need for alternative interventions in the global South, including greater investment in local higher education institutions, and online learning.