MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are online courses offered by prestigious universities that allow large numbers of students worldwide to study for free. They provide video-based instruction and interaction through peer review, group work, or automated assessments. While MOOCs offer access to quality education, they typically do not provide formal qualifications and have very high dropout rates, as most students do not complete the courses. They are best suited for independent study by graduates looking to enhance their skills rather than pursuing a full degree program.

1. MOOCs (Massive
Open Online
Courses)

2. Recently, MOOCs have become increasingly
popular. They offer a large number of students
the opportunity to study high quality courses
online with prestigious universities, normally
at no cost.
•MOOCs do not always lead to formal
qualifications. There are no entry requirements.
•Courses are offered by Harvard, Yale and
Stanford, among other leading universities in the
US, the UK, Europe and Asia.
•The New York Times dubbed 2012 'The Year of the
MOOC' while Time magazine said that free MOOCs
opened the door to the 'Ivy League for the
Masses'.

3. WHAT MOOCS OFFER
MOOCS offer university-level courses without
the need to complete an entire program of
studies.
They are ideal for independent study and
users can select courses from any institution
offering them.
Video-based, they offer interaction either
through peer review and group collaboration or
automated feedback through objective, online
assessments (including quizzes and exams).

4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
While most courses are free, some are
fee-paying. Videos are normally short
and much activity takes place on online
discussion groups and forums.
Drop-out rates are high – up to
90%. Rates are marginally lower
for paid-for courses.
A reasonable degree of computer
literacy is needed.
Many MOOC users are graduates
seeking to top up their skills
and competences

5. WHY YOU MIGHT CONSIDER A
MOOC
They are low cost routes to
accessing quality courses.
They can be combined with other
study or work.
They are accessed from any
computer at any location including
your home.

6. WHY A MOOC MAY NOT BE SUITABLE
FOR YOU
MOOCS do not feed into a degree or
other qualification but are self-contained.
Few students complete the courses.
Content from a MOOC offered by a
university outside your home country
may not match cultural and other
conditions with which you are familiar.