What is a MOOC?
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are an emerging trend that promises to shake up higher education (and possibly corporate education and training) like never before. Unlike a traditional university on-ground course or an online course that may have a few dozen or hundred learners enrolled, a MOOC may have hundreds of thousands of learners. Moreover, learners are encouraged to teach to and learn from each other to enhance the content posted by the host institution. In this approach, the educational institution acts as a course sponsor and pseudo facilitator, allowing the course to evolve and take on a character all its own. These courses are typically free of charge, allow unlimited registrations, and include lecture videos, supporting text content, assignments, discussion topics to facilitate learner interaction, and more.
Who are emerging leaders and pioneers in the MOOC space?
Is there any additional online resource regarding MOOCs?
It is too early to tell when, if, and to what extent the private sector may embrace this type of approach for delivering generic business training such as Safety, Sales and Marketing, business software application training, and other soft skills content. Keep an eye on this trend and ask yourself, “Does MOOC have a place in my eLearning and training/development strategy?” This question pertains to both enrolling in and delivering your own MOOC experiences.