Small Private Online Courses

While small private online courses, usually known by the acronym SPOCs, can refer to a variety of courses, in general, the term refers to Internet-based educational programs that deliver prerecorded video lectures, electronic quizzes, and tests, and in some cases, reading assignments. They are offered to small groups, usually at a college or university or at a corporation; group members participate in online discussions of the material. Often these courses are moderated by a professor or other teaching professional. They can be used as stand-alone online courses, or they can be integrated as part of a flipped classroom, in which students watch video lectures as homework and spend in-person class time with a professor discussing the class material. This entry provides an overview of SPOCs, ...