Objectives: To assess the prevalence of awareness
and use of massive open online courses (MOOCs)
among medical undergraduates in Egypt as a
developing country, as well as identifying the
limitations and satisfaction of using these courses.
Design: A multicentre, cross-sectional study using a
web-based, pilot-tested and self-administered
questionnaire.
Settings: Ten out of 19 randomly selected medical
schools in Egypt.
Participants: 2700 undergraduate medical students
were randomly selected, with an equal allocation of
participants in each university and each study year.
Primary and secondary outcome measures:
Primary outcome measures were the percentages of
students who knew about MOOCs, students who
enrolled and students who obtained a certificate.
Secondary outcome measures included the limitations
and satisfaction of using MOOCs through five-point
Likert scale questions.
Results: Of 2527 eligible students, 2106 completed
the questionnaire (response rate 83.3%). Of these
students, 456 (21.7%) knew the term MOOCs or
websites providing these courses. Out of the latter, 136
(29.8%) students had enrolled in at least one course,
but only 25 (18.4%) had completed courses earning
certificates. Clinical year students showed significantly
higher rates of knowledge (p=0.009) and enrolment
(p