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Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
MOOC is an acronym for Massive Open Online Course. The word “massive” means large
number or amount, “open” means accessible to all, “online” means connected to or available
through a system, and “course” means the act of moving in a path from point to point.
Therefore, MOOC refers to a route or pattern of getting a content or information available

through an online system that can be accessed by many people.
MOOC is also described as a pattern for providing learning information or content online to
any person who needs to take up a course with no limit on attendance.
MOOCs are asynchronous web-based courses geared towards enabling several hundreds of
students all over the world to enroll and learn from top world-renowned academic institutions
at the same time. MOOCs deliver content via recorded video lectures, online readings, and
online assessments, with various degrees of student-student and student-instructor
interactions.
Many MOOC-providers offer free courses, which entice more people to enroll. There are
MOOCs that provide certificates of completion to the students; however, most of them do not
count for college credit. The concept of MOOC was invented in 2008 by Dave Cormier, from
the University of Prince Edward Island, for a course offered by the University of Manitoba,
"Connectivism and Connective Knowledge”,
The learning material or video content used in an MOOC is created by an educational

institution, usually a university or a college that offers such programs.
The organization and administration operation of an MOOC are coordinated by active MOOC
platforms (e.g. Coursera and edX). MOOCs were created from the idea of covering an entire
university course online and thereby making it accessible to everyone in the world. The intent
was to "democratize" educational content from elite universities.
Types of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

There are two main types of MOOCs:
1. xMOOCs
xMOOC stands for eXtended MOOC. xMOOCs are based on traditional university course
structures and make use of established teaching approaches and materials. Students will
watch pre-recorded lectures, complete required readings, and participate in discussions as
produced and managed by a course instructor or an instructional team from a higher
education institution. These are typically self-contained and rarely utilize content external to
the main content delivery and learning platform.
2. cMOOCs
cMOOC stands for Connectivist MOOC. cMOOCs are based on the connectivist learning
model that favors collaboration among learners as a form of active learning. Students in
cMOOC work together to locate, evaluate, and contribute to the course content by uploading
materials in the form of tweets, blog posts, wikis and others, to the course using the learning
platform. A cMOOC instructor or instructional team facilitates learning by finalizing,
aggregating, and assessing the students’ contributions to the course.
ADVANTAGES OF MOOCs
1. Relax requirements – MOOC can be taken by anyone who is interested in the subject
matter and able to access the course, regardless of age, background, or location.
2. Video format availability - Teaching in a modern video format (not just texts like those
that you’d find in other e-learning courses).
3. Accessibility- learning content from top universities like Harvard, Stanford, etc. can be
opened through online format.
4. Repetition- an MOOC will often run two or three times a year, ensuring that students
would not miss their chance.
5. High quality- MOOCs are led by subject matter experts (SMEs) and supported by
teaching assistants, so that students have access to first-rate educational resources.
6. Feasibility- an MOOC usually requires 1-2 hours of study a week for about 5 weeks,
making learning doable even for busy students.
7. Self-paced- an MOOC enables students to work through the course materials and
assessments at their own pace.
8. Online collaboration- learners across the globe work together on common goals without
the need to meet each other in person.
What are some MOOC platforms?

There are already thousands of MOOCs from countless providers worldwide. Here are the
top MOOC platforms.
a. Coursera has over 20 million learners/participants. Courses were created by the

universities of Stanford, Princeton, Yale, London, Munich, Zurich, and many
more.
b. EdX has around 10 million learners/participants. Courses were created from

Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, and Oxford, among others.
c. Udacity is created as an MOOC platform at Stanford. Now mostly programming

courses in cooperation with industry partners such as Google, Facebook, or
Daimler. Course topics include artificial intelligence and self-driving cars.
d. FutureLearn is MOOC platform (UK-based) which includes various British and

European universities. Courses offered are shorter in duration compared to
others.

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Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

Therefore, MOOC refers to a route or pattern of getting a content or information available

The learning material or video content used in an MOOC is created by an educational

Types of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

What are some MOOC platforms?

a. Coursera has over 20 million learners/participants. Courses were created by the

b. EdX has around 10 million learners/participants. Courses were created from

c. Udacity is created as an MOOC platform at Stanford. Now mostly programming

d. FutureLearn is MOOC platform (UK-based) which includes various British and

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