MOOCs: the future of online learning. Will it affect face-to-face education?

摘要

Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, were first developed around 2011 at Stanford University by Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig.1 Typically a MOOC is a single course that is free, it has no admission requirements, it provides no credit, although some universities offer 'certificates of completion', and the student's attendance is flexible. Assessments are generally optional and, in some instances, the course could be compared to viewing a David Attenborough documentary on the internet, but with questions provided at the end that are graded online. From a student's perspective, particularly a casual lifelong learner, they appear cost-effective when compared with university attendance, which in Australia could cost several thousands of dollars. Their title says it all, they are massively subscribed; according to University World News1, Thrun's first course attracted 160,000 students. However, Inside Higher Ed suggests that the dropout rate is nearly as 'dramatic as the initial enrolments'2, suggesting that the ability to deliver student satisfaction in a MOOC would be similar to a traditional course and vary according to the course and the lecturer running it.