Title:
Enhancing Inclusivity in MOOCs Through Adaptive Personalized Technologies for Learning: A Systematic Review [Download]Authors:
Salwa Mrayhi, Mohamed Koutheair Khribi, Mohamed Jemni
Index Terms:
Abstract:
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) broaden access to learning, but inclusivity remains uneven when accessibility and personalization are treated as peripheral rather than foundational design requirements. This PRISMA 2020-aligned systematic review (2018–2025) examines how accessibility by design and Adaptive and Personalized Technologies for Learning (APTeL) are implemented in MOOCs and how they relate to learner outcomes (access, engagement, persistence, achievement). Fifty-six empirical studies met the inclusion criteria by addressing WCAG- or ARIA-based accessibility and/or APTeL mechanisms such as learner modeling, recommender systems, adaptive sequencing, and adaptive feedback. Across this corpus, media-level accessibility was most common, with captions and transcripts reported in 68% of studies, alternative formats (for example, alt text and audio description) in 46%, and assistive technology checks in 34%, while explicit WCAG or ARIA citation (29%) and explicit UDL alignment (21%) were comparatively limited. Personalization efforts centered on learner modeling (54%), recommender systems (41%), adaptive sequencing (36%), and adaptive feedback (30%). Outcome reporting favored engagement proxies (75%) over achievement (38%) and persistence or retention (32%), and only 11% of studies disaggregated outcomes by disability. The clearest benefits appeared when accessible and operable interaction pathways were co-designed with APTeL adaptations explicitly mapped to learning objectives, UDL checkpoints, and assessment strategies. However, heterogeneous conformance reporting, limited assistive technology validation, sparse UDL mapping, and weak outcome validity reduce interpretability and restrict causal claims about impact on learning and persistence. The review specifies design and practice implications for accessibility-aligned APTeL in MOOCs, identifies methodological and ethical gaps that constrain generalizability and equity inferences, and proposes priorities for platform policy and rigorous, disability-aware evaluation frameworks.
DOI:
How to cite:
Salwa Mrayhi, Mohamed Koutheair Khribi, Mohamed Jemni, "Enhancing Inclusivity in MOOCs Through Adaptive Personalized Technologies for Learning: A Systematic Review", IEEE-RITA, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 119-130, Jan. 2026. doi: 10.1109/RITA.2026.3668415