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• Q:What IS a MOOC ?
  A: A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course.
  Massive - thousands of people could be on it.
  Open - anyone can join in - for free!
  Online - e-learning facilities are available to assist learning
  Course - it's not a 'course' - it's a MOOC!
• Q:Massive? Like trying to learn something with thousands of others in an enormous classroom?
  A: Not at all. Yes, there could be thousands of people but no, there's little a MOOC has in common with 'face-to-face' courses in traditional classrooms of any size. MOOC providers like to inflate numbers by quoting the number of people who merely sign up for a MOOC. The numbers actually participating will be considerably smaller and of those, only a small fraction will use the forums or even tackle assignments - not to mention jumping through whatever hoops the providers consider necessary to 'complete' the course and gain some sort of certificate.
• Q: Open? I like that but there's no such thing as a free lunch!
  A: True - and MOOCs can be expensive to run. At present, MOOCs are financed in a variety of ways and sustainable models are only beginning to emerge. This could be a golden age for MOOCs using the larger company-led platforms (Udacity, Coursera etc), as they compete to attract their future 'customers' - there may never be so much freely on offer again!
• Q: Online? I'm no expert with a computer!
  A: You don't need to be. If you can surf the web, you can join a MOOC - and there's usually plenty of help available if you do get stuck.
• Q: Course? That really puts me off - teachers, examinations and being told off when I ask a silly question - no thank you!
  A: I repeat, a MOOC is not really a 'course', at least not the traditional face-to-face type you have in mind. The traditional course usually involves a pre-determined path (syllabus), an expert figure (teacher) whose main function is to control and broadcast knowledge to the learners followed by closed book examinations. A MOOC need not have any of these. Don't base your expectations of MOOCs on experiences with face-to-face courses. That can lead to missed opportunities and misunderstandings - leave your traditional course baggage behind!
• Q: So what types of MOOCs are there?
  A: They come in many shapes and sizes but at present the two main types are cMOOCs and xMOOCs. I've discussed them here - 'MOOCs for Everyone'. The earlier cMOOCS were based on connectivist principles. Participants decided on their own levels of engagement, openly sharing knowledge through blogging, tweeting, bookmarking and whatever modes of interaction they preferred. In contrast, the xMOOCs have much more in common with traditional university courses and depend heavily on technology. Typically, course delivery is by a small number of experts and learners are supported by a single discussion forum. Assessment is by multiple choice questions and possibly peer assessment for humanities topics.

• Q: OK, so can you do anything you like on a MOOC? No wonder not much learning gets done!
  A: And that IS a common misunderstanding! Of course you can do what you like, including nothing at all but what gets done depends entirely on your own motivation and learning objectives. MOOCs are ideal for self-learners who know what they want - know how to 'milk the MOOC'. If all you want is a few videos for later viewing then just go right ahead, download them and go away. Nobody will bother, or even notice. On the other hand, the more you put into a MOOC the more you get out of it. Engaging with others by sharing and assisting not only helps your own learning but greatly contributes to the overall success of the MOOC.
• Q: OK, but you have to admit that dropout rates for MOOCs are abysmal!
  A: Only if you take 'dropout' to mean every participant except those eager beavers who have the time and energy to meet deadlines, pass assignments and win a certificate. A very small fraction of a massive number can still be very large and almost certainly much larger than the numbers passing a traditional course on the same topic. 'Dropout' is an insulting term to apply to thousands of others whose education can still benefit one way or another without 'completing' a MOOC. (I've given some examples of this in my blog.)

Can you do what you like on a MOOC ?

(Based on la vaca de los sinvaca' by José Bogado)

• Q: I heard interaction in some MOOC forums likened to a blood sport rather than civilized discussion!
  A: That's quite an exaggeration but with participants of any age, nationality, culture, language and very different educational backgrounds in the same forum, you must expect some fireworks sometimes! Really serious abuse should be reported but try not to be too sensitive. Be polite, diplomatic and tolerant - even when you think others are being provocative.
• Q: But I don't like to lose face in an argument - and I don't like being called names either!
  A: It's so easy not to lose face in an online argument. If somebody disagrees with you about something - fine. It could lead to interesting exchanges where you both learn something new and then part on good terms. On the rare occasions when somebody does become abusive, just politely terminate the discussion and move away - easy compared with a similar face-to-face situation!
• Q: I'm still not convinced about MOOCs. What should I do now?
  A: Take charge of your own learning! You don't have to believe anything I say - just sign up for a MOOC on something that interests you and find out for yourself (see MOOCs Resource Page). You could just observe or participate a little, or a lot - it's up to you - what have you to lose? You might even learn something!

Open Courseware (OCW)

In April 2008 I imagined a futuristic Open Global Education Network (OGEN) that would somehow bring inexpensive Higher Education to anyone, anywhere in the world. At that time there was little to talk about apart from the very beginnings in the shape of OpenCourseware (OCW). This was a significant innovation, notably by MIT making a wide range of videoed lectures, notes, quizzes and so on, freely available on the Internet. OCW though is typically a by-product of traditional courses and does not come with expert tuition, the opportunity to mix and communicate with fellow students or the chance of a recognized qualification.

iBerry is a non-profit making website connecting to information and resources for learners, educators, researchers and anyone else with an interest in Higher Education. There are no commercial or institutional affiliations. Plans for future development are summarized below - comments or alternative suggestions are very welcome! The priority will be to help online learners find the best open educational resources (OER) and support for their own purposes - wherever they are on the globe.

Movement towards the type of Open Global Education Network that we envisaged several years ago has been very rapid in recent months with the growth of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and other innovations in Open Education such as Kahn Academy. We will try to keep up with developments.

The changes brought about by Online Open Education are continuing at an alarming rate. I can hardly keep up with all the announcements of new Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Also, more and more people are taking learning into their own hands. See, for example, the remarkable 'Signals and Systems' course created by Indian student Amol Bhave

Open Online Courses are now very much in the news. By offering online support to hundreds if not thousands of international learners Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are taking over where Open Courseware (OCW) left off. Connectivist MOOCs originated by George Siemens, Stephen Downes and others were first on the scene but now other types of MOOC are being offered such as Stanford's Coursera, MIT's MITx, and Udacity. (For listings see Class Central and Open Yale Courses).

Connectivist MOOCs

Based on connectivist principles, these MOOCs represent one extreme and are probably most removed from what many people think of as a 'course'. Learning objectives are entirely a matter for the participants themselves and it is not considered necessary or even possible to complete all the course assignments. The facilitators act more as guides than instructors but a basic curriculum, daily newsletters and presentations by experts may be provided. Otherwise, participants determine their own levels of engagement openly sharing their knowledge through blogging, commenting, tweeting, bookmarking and whatever modes of interaction they prefer.   . . . . . .