MOOCs as a disruptive force in online education

• Main Author: Dennis Viehland
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Computing and Information Technology Research and Education (CITRENZ)
• Series: Journal of Applied Computing and Information Technology
• Subjects: MOOCs; massive open online courses; online education; disruptive technologies
• Online Access: http://www.citrenz.ac.nz/jacit/JACIT1801/2014Viehland_MOOCs.html

MOOCs - massive open online courses - have emerged as the dominant topic in online education in New Zealand and elsewhere. MOOCs have been variously described as a tsunami, a paradigm shift and a disruptive force to both place-based and online tertiary education. This paper offers a comprehensive description of MOOCs and discusses key disruptive aspects of MOOC-based education such as university/student disengagement, low completion rates, peer assessment and business models.