EUA publishes second paper on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

EUA has published its second Occasional Paper on the topic of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
A follow-up to the first paper published at the beginning of 2013, it is designed to inform and update EUA member universities and other interested stakeholders on the broad range of MOOCs developments that have taken place in recent months particularly in Europe and North America, but also more widely.
Authored by Michael Gaebel, Director of the Higher Education Policy Unit at EUA, it also looks in detail at a number of issues related to the development of MOOCs that are directly relevant for universities. These include the financial aspects of MOOCs (including costs of production and maintenance); implications for both learning and teaching; and the question of awarding credits for MOOCs.
The final section of the paper also outlines some “points for further consideration for European higher education” notably in terms of the evolution and potential benefits of MOOCs and the “responsibility of the university”.
The full paper can be downloaded here.
EUA would also like to remind members and partners that its upcoming Annual Conference “Changing Landscapes in Learning and Teaching” (3-4 April, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium) will include a special session on the topic of MOOCs and a working group session on learning and teaching in the digital age. Furthermore, at the General Assembly prior to the conference on 3 April, the results of a mapping study on e-learning at European universities will be presented to EUA members.
Some background on EUA’s work on e-learning and MOOCs

• EUA believes that e-learning, and possibly also MOOCs have great potential with regards to the further development of the European Higher Education Area, and that the “open learning” aspect could further catalyse the structural changes already introduced through the Bologna Process, and boost the institutional cooperation developed, for example through EU programmes. More information on EUA’s work is available here.