Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a 21st-century online learning format that is gaining attention. MOOCs are gaining in popularity as a practical alternative to brick-and-mortar instructional formats for committed course applicants. Open online course enrollments have many students seeking knowledge, skill building, and professional certifications. MOOCs are evolving under the tutelage of educator entrepreneurs, business leaders, venture capitalists, and online learners discovering effective ways to use distance education technology. MOOCs are not exclusively for obtaining a degree; a variety of courses are skill based, which appeals to a cohort of professional student learners. If MOOC instructors can dedicate a few hours per day over a 4- to 10- or 12-week period teaching massive open online courses, then this unconventional learning format may provide promising ...