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Because of their unique qualities, MOOCs have some characteristics that make them valuable for society.
- MOOCs are designed for massive participation — MOOCs are gradually regarded as a way to address the growing number of individuals seeking to gain higher education (HE). MOOCs can also be delivered to increase participation in lifelong learning and training for very large numbers of people.
- MOOCs provide a full course experience for free, increasing access to education for all kinds of (non-formal and formal) learners (as courses offered free of charge to people all over the world, thus giving them the opportunity to decide for themselves what, where and when to study)
- MOOCs may be regarded as contributing to the democratization of HE, not only locally or regionally, but globally as well. Only an Internet connection is required to have access to quality education. Moreover, access to quality educationoffers citizens a better standard of life and the ability to engage more productively in all areas of human endeavour.
MOOCs thus can offer universal entry to high-quality education at no cost to the participants. One could position MOOCs as just another milestone in the process of transforming HE into a more open, accessible, flexible, affordable, transparent and accountable entity. However, the early research in MOOCs suggests that they tend to be taken by people who are already well qualified (see question ‘Who is the typical MOOC student?’), with a degree or higher. Thus the democratization argument has been countered by those who suggest that MOOCs may even exacerbate the digital divide.
The following reasons for societies to invest in MOOCs are frequently mentioned:
- To promote the development of a cutting-edge education
- To stimulate and motivate the adoption of new technologies and new forms of learning
- To offer expansive, open, free, accessible and always available knowledge (continuing education) within relevant educational fields
- To combine online and campus education
- To expand access, marketing and branding, as well as the potential for developing new revenue streams
- To reap the benefits presented by collaboration in virtual learning environments, including learning peer-to-peer, increasing digital skills, amplifying networks and recycling knowledge
- To use MOOCs as an admissions tool
- To increase enrolments and applications from students who want to ‘try before they buy‘ when considering university
- To these we can add more recent findings on government perspectives, which highlight the general awareness of the potential of using MOOCs for workforce development, but which also point out a lack of national strategies to promote MOOCs as a means to mitigate unemployment or for professional development (Garrido et al., 2016)
MOOCs have opened up new possibilities and new ways for learners to access education anytime, anywhere, with lower costs, allowing them to earn whilst learning. From the students’ point of view, MO