You’re going to talk at OEB about a corporate MOOC that’s intended to foster lifelong learning. How did this idea come about?

Michal Marom: The Amdocs Lifelong Learning MOOC was initiated as part of our wish to provide employees with a platform to help them acquire what is frequently referred to as "Future Skills". We believe that lifelong learning is an essential mindset and mode of action - for any professional - let alone in technological domains. This, of course, is due to the rapid changes in technology and knowledge that are part of the digital era. These, in turn, imply the new learning habits professionals must acquire in order to maintain their professionalism and stay relevant. Without them, one may not only go into stagnation, but actually fall behind.

How were the course contents selected, and what were the criteria for their implementation?

Michal Marom: We understood that we had to address both the mindset and the practical elements of pursuing lifelong learning. Without the right mindset, the practical aspect simply wouldn’t work. So we decided to have one section of the course dedicated to mindset and to exposing employees to a variety of learning resources suitable for the lifelong learner.

The second section of the course focuses on a technological topic chosen by the employee and provides practical experience in self-exploring the topic with the support of a mentor. The mentors are Amdocs employees who take upon themselves to share their experience - both in self-learning and in specific professional domains - with their mentees.

How did you define the target audience?

Michal Marom: Lifelong learning is relevant for everyone, of course, but since the vast majority of our employees are professionals in technological domains, we defined the target audience as all employees in technological roles, from all levels and units.

Has an evaluation been done yet, or are there any access statistics?

Michal Marom: After each MOOC cycle, we collect feedback both from employees who took the course and from mentors, and we analyze the course learning analytics. So far, we have received very good feedback relating to the impact the course had on learners’ perception of continuous learning, its criticality in today’s world, and the many learning opportunities available to them while taking the lifelong learning journey. Here’s something one of the employees said after completing the course, which captures its entire essence in a nutshell:

"It’s a great course concept. It really woke me up!"