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By Marilyn M. Lombardi. We can thank the University of Manitoba for launching the massive open online course craze.
Back in 2008, Manitoba’s “Connectivism and Connective Knowledge” online course was made available for free to online “auditors.” When more than 2,000 people unexpectedly signed up for the experience, an acronym (“MOOC”) and a movement was born. My involvement with MOOCs started in the summer of 2012 when Duke University was approached by Coursera, a Stanford university spin-off company with venture capital in its coffers and a message of global social responsibility to which chief academic officers at elite institutions were quick to respond. More...

This overview of nine key documents published over the past year is provided to support the ongoing debate on MOOCs, Open Educational Resources and online education, and to support the change processes in this time of openness. Dates of publication and extent are noted.
Any suggestions for reports and papers to be added to this list are very welcome! Please contact the ICDE Secretariat.
Introduction to Moocs: Avalanche, Illusion or Augmentation? Policy Brief Published by the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education
http://iite.unesco.org/publications/3214722
This Policy Brief aims to provide a background to the expansion of MOOCs, explain their differences and similarities, identify the types of students using MOOCs, investigate their business models and potential direction, and finally to scope the risks and benefits associated with their development. More...

By Tarique Haider. When Technoduet first published its list of MOOC Providers about six months back, there were just 26 names.  Now it has 40 and growing.
Not only number of MOOC providers has multiplied, MOOC themselves have diversified.  We now have SPOC, MOOR  and even a MOOC based on a popular TV series.  The maturity, diversification and popularity of MOOC are all going up. More...

Provides an overview of recent reports, writings and opinion on massive open online courses (MOOCs). BIS research paper number 130.
This report updates our knowledge on the development and impact of massive open online courses on learners and institutions at further education and higher education level. The study assessed available literature from various sources, including academic research articles and formal comprehensive reviews; blog posts; commentary and journalistic coverage. It concludes that massive open online courses are likely to become a standard element of university education with new teaching and learning methods that provide revenue and lower costs. A major challenge is finding suitable business models.
Research and analysis Massive open online courses and online distance learning: review
Organisation: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
Page history: Published 18 September 2013
Policies: Improving the quality of further education and skills training+ 1 other and Making the higher education system more efficient and diverse


Series: BIS research papers.

By Dian Schaffhauser. A coalition of faculty groups has declared war against online learning, particularly massive open online courses (MOOCs), because it said it believes that the fast expansion of this form of education is being promulgated by corporations — specifically for-profit colleges and universities and education technology companies — at the expense of student education and public interest.
The question at the heart of the battle is whether higher education is worthy of public investment or better suited to be an offering of big business. A report issued today by advocacy group Campaign for the Future of Higher Education examines the motives behind much of the current push for online education.
The report, "The 'Promises' of Online Higher Education: Profits," examines how the rhetoric used to describe new online offerings — "innovation," "expanded access," and "reduced costs" — should be interpreted "through the lens of corporate interest and influence." Specifically, corporations and investors have a major interest in the adoption of education technology to deliver online classes. More...