Massive Open Online Courses - Current Practice and Future Trends

The Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) educational model has opened access to education by being affordable, removing geographical barriers, and enabling ubiquitous learning. Now, a potential student can study courses from anywhere in the world, is not required to travel to campus, and can study whenever they want. Because of less overheads on offering MOOCs and economies of scale, the courses do not cost much. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid advances were made in technology, platforms, and networks so that learners could continue studying online. This is the "new normal" of learning and there is no going back. This book looks at the technology, networks, and platforms that enable MOOCs. Is online learning a good substitute for face-to-face learning? We address the concerns, concepts, context, and implications in this book. Learning on your own has many challenges. This book looks at the pedagogical practices that we can apply to overcome these challenges and obtain a successful and satisfying teaching and learning experience.