Applied Chemical Engineering

Toward a conceptual framework for digital transformation in chemical engineering education: The role of MOOCs in fostering intercultural communicative competence

Dejuan Mao

Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Malaysia

Fathiyah Mohd Kamaruzaman

Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Malaysia

Ahmad Zamri Mansor

Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Malaysia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v9i1.5822

Keywords: chemical engineering education; Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs); digital transformation; interdisciplinary learning; intercultural communicative competence (icc); global engineering education

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Abstract

The creation, delivery, and dissemination of chemical engineering knowledge in a globally interconnected setting are being redefined by the digital transformation of higher education. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have emerged as important venues for increasing access to engineering education while fostering interdisciplinary cooperation and cross-cultural learning. In order to investigate how MOOCs promote digital transformation and Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) in chemical engineering education, this study systematically reviews 24 peer-reviewed articles (2020-2025) using the PRISMA methodology. According to research, MOOCs foster educational innovation by incorporating flipped learning, simulation-based experimentation, and group projects that improve students' technical and intercultural competencies. In order to solve sustainability and process-design issues, they also enable interdisciplinary integration by linking chemical, computational, and environmental disciplines. However, enduring obstacles include unequal access to technology, a lack of established ICC evaluation tools, and poor cultural contextualisation limit wider impact. This review offers a conceptual framework for a Global Chemical Engineering Education Ecosystem based on constructivist, connectivist, and intercultural communication theories. MOOCs are positioned as socio-technical environments that connect digital, interdisciplinary, and intercultural learning processes. The study comes to the conclusion that pedagogical intentionality, institutional backing, and inclusive digital infrastructures that train internationally competent and morally conscious engineers are necessary for MOOCs to have their revolutionary potential.

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