A massive open online course (MOOC/muːk/) or an open online course is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the Web.[1] In addition to traditional course materials, such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets, many MOOCs provide interactive courses with user forums or social media discussions to support community interactions among students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs), as well as immediate feedback to quick quizzes and assignments. MOOCs are a widely researched development in distance education,[2] first introduced in 2008,[3] that emerged as a popular mode of learning in 2012, a year called the "Year of the MOOC".[4][5][6]
Early MOOCs (cMOOCs: Connectivist MOOCs) often emphasized open-access features, such as open licensing of content, structure and learning goals, to promote the reuse and remixing of resources. Some later MOOCs (xMOOCs: extended MOOCs) use closed licenses for their course materials while maintaining free access for students.[7][8][9][10]
^Kaplan, Andreas M.; Haenlein, Michael (2016). "Higher education and the digital revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, social media, and the Cookie Monster". Business Horizons. 59 (4): 441–50. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2016.03.008.
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^Siemens, G. (2013). Massive open online courses: Innovation in education. In McGreal, R., Kinuthia W., & Marshall S. (Eds), Open educational resources: Innovation, research and practice (pp. 5–16). Vancouver: Commonwealth of Learning and Athabasca University.
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^Leontyev, Alexey; Baranov, Dmitry (12 November 2013). "Massive Open Online Courses in Chemistry: A Comparative Overview of Platforms and Features". Journal of Chemical Education. 90 (11): 1533–1539. Bibcode:2013JChEd..90.1533L. doi:10.1021/ed400283x. ISSN0021-9584.
^P. Adamopoulos, "What Makes a Great MOOC? An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Student Retention in Online Courses", ICIS 2013 Proceedings (2013) pp. 1–21 in AIS Electronic Library (AISeL)Archived 4 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine.