The document discusses Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). It provides a brief history of distance education beginning in the 18th century and discusses how MOOCs emerged from open educational resources in 2008. MOOCs allow for unlimited participation online and provide educational content to anyone with internet access. They aim to deliver education individually and make use of technology to connect people from diverse areas for learning. The document also notes some challenges of MOOCs like lack of meaningful conversations with large class sizes and ease of dropping out.