Les sanctions états-uniennes s’appliquent aux MOOC : Coursera ferme l’accès à ses cours aux syriens, iraniens, cubains,…
State Dept. blocks access to MOOCs in countries with economic sanctions | Inside Higher Ed
▻http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/01/28/state-dept-blocks-access-moocs-countries-economic-sanctions
Syrian students aren’t the only ones locked out of Coursera. At least one Iranian student protested the change on Facebook, saying the ban helps “hardliners in Iran ... impose their ideology and beliefs in the absence of a widespread, free higher education system.”
The news was first reported by the website Wamda, an online community for entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa.
Coursera explained the change in its online help center:
“The interpretation of export control regulations as they related to MOOCs was unclear for a period of time, and Coursera had been operating under one interpretation of the law,” the website reads. “Recently, Coursera received a clear answer indicating that certain aspects of the Coursera MOOC experience are considered ‘services’ (and all services are highly restricted by export controls). While many students from these countries were previously able to access Coursera, this change means that we will no longer be able to provide students in sanctioned countries with access to Coursera moving forward.”
Tous les fournisseurs n’ont pas cette position ; certains ont négocié des dérogations.
The only option for students in the sanctioned countries may be edX, the MOOC provider founded in partnership between Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tena Herlihy, edX’s general counsel, said the company has since last May worked with the U.S. State Department and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and has so far applied for and received company-specific licenses for its MOOCs to enroll students in Cuba and Iran (a third license, for Sudan, is still in the works).
“We want to provide education to anyone with an internet connection,” Herlihy said. “We do not want to withhold education from someone just because of the country they live in."