The document provides a brief history and overview of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). It defines MOOCs as massive, open, online courses and notes that while early MOOCs focused on connecting networks of learners, more recent MOOCs emphasize curriculum and assessment like a traditional textbook. As an example, it discusses the University of Edinburgh offering six MOOCs on the Coursera platform that have attracted over 300,000 students since 2012. It also notes a tension between individual learner-centered and curated/distributed network models of MOOCs.
11. University of Edinburgh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lljohnston/7576247296/sizes/c/in/photostream/
12. More than 300,000 people have
signed up to the University of
Edinburgh's free massive open online
courses (MOOCs) since they were
first announced in July 2012
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?
sectioncode=26&storycode=422568&c=1
14. The majority of the courses run for
five weeks and include "Astrobiology
and the Search for Extra-terrestrial
Life", "Artificial Intelligence Planning",
"Introduction to Philosophy" and
"Equine Nutrition".
15. Edinburgh said it aims to attract
10,000 distance learning students
over the next decade. It currently has
nearly 2,000 students enrolled on
online taught master's programmes.