MOOCs and Open Education is a new edited collection that addresses issues related to open educational resources (OERs) and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Recent improvements in e-learning technology make it possible for people all around the world to participate in online courses. These MOOCs are “massive” because they do not have a limit on the number of learners that can participate. These MOOCs are called “open” because MOOCs are an idea that originally came from the Open Educational Resources community. MOOCs are usually free for students but do not always lead to formal accreditation. E-learning technology is improving so quickly that organizations have to struggle with a variety of issues. How can educators make sure that the education provided by these MOOCs meets an acceptable level of quality? How can learners make sure that the educators are properly credentialed and qualified to teach online? What assessment strategies and innovative teaching practices are proving optimal for distance education? How can quality control standards be defined and maintained? What business models do organizations like MITx, Coursera, edX, Udemy, and Udacity use for these MOOCs?

As online learning becomes more prolific there is a growing need to understand how these massive open online courses are being conducted. Academics, governments, corporations, and numerous other participants want to understand the outcomes of these exciting new open education programs. Everyone wants to know how MOOCs can be made better. To meet this increasing demand for information the book MOOCs and Open Education offers an analysis of massive open online courses and other open educational resource issues. This MOOCs book discusses the important controversies associated with MOOCs and OERs. This Open Education also book shares the latest research findings and provides pragmatic suggestions for people who are interested in open education. To learn more please see MOOCs and Open Education.

MOOCs and Open Education