ABSTRACT

Since the first MOOC was launched at the University of Manitoba in 2008, this new form of the massification of higher education has been a rollercoaster ride for the university sector. The New York Times famously declared 2012 to be the year of the MOOC. However, by 2014, the number of academic leaders who believed the model was unsustainable doubled to more than 50%. While the MOOC hype has somewhat subsided, the attitudes and anxieties of this peak time can still be seen influencing universities and their administrations. 

This is the first volume that addresses Massive Open Online Courses from a post-MOOC perspective. We move beyond the initial hype and revolutionary promises of the peak-MOOC period and take a sober look at what endures in an area that is still rapidly growing, albeit without the headlines. This book explores the future of the MOOC in higher education by examining what went right, what went wrong and where to next for the massification of higher education and online learning and teaching. The chapters in this collection address these questions from a wide variety of different backgrounds, methodologies and regional perspectives. They explore learner experiences, the move towards course for credit, innovative design, transformations and implications of the MOOC in turn.

This book is valuable reading for students and academics interested in education, eLearning, globalisation and information services.

chapter 1|8 pages

What was all that about? Peak MOOC hype and post-MOOC legacies

ByMike Kent, Rebecca Bennett

part 1|65 pages

Barriers and opportunities

chapter 2|15 pages

Any colour as long as it’s black! MOOCs, (post)-Fordism and inequality

ByRebecca Bennett, Mike Kent

chapter 3|19 pages

Envisioning post-colonial MOOCs

Critiques and ways forward
ByMaha Ayham Bali, Shyam Sharma

chapter 4|13 pages

Global footprints and localisation

The rise of MOOCs in China
ByXin Wang

chapter 5|16 pages

MOOCs for credit

Making the idea work
ByJenny Ng, Leanne McRae

part 2|60 pages

Teachers’ and students’ insights and experiences

chapter 6|15 pages

Autoethnography

The story of ‘doing a MOOC’ or knowing ‘the beast’ from within
ByMelanie James

chapter 7|17 pages

Exploring ‘success’ in MOOCs

Participants’ perspective
ByTharindu Rekha Liyanagunawardena, Patrick Parslow, Shirley Ann Williams

chapter 8|14 pages

Learning from learners

How one MOOC’s social media engagement created new insights
BySara Moseley, Hannah Scarbrough

chapter 9|12 pages

Developing a MOOC

Factoring in disability
ByLouisa Smith, Leanne Dowse, Karen Soldatic, Mike Kent

part 3|48 pages

Where to next?

chapter 10|14 pages

Mentored open online communities (MooCs) as a third space for teaching and learning in higher education

BySue Ringler Pet, Katarina Silvestri, Stephanie Loomis, W. Ian O’Byrne, William Kist

chapter 11|17 pages

Reframing MOOCs in higher education

Exploring professional development options
ByVanessa P. Dennen, Jiyae Bong

chapter 12|15 pages

The Selfie Course

More than a MOOC
ByKath Albury, Tama Leaver, Alice Marwick, Jill Walker Rettberg, Theresa Senft