Massive Open Online Courses - Will They Create Greater Opportunity Or Inequality?

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have the potential to be a “disruptive innovation” which will change higher education. This book examines the likely outcomes of the introduction of MOOCs for students and faculty. Previous distant learning efforts using radio and television failed to have a major impact on the structure of higher education. MOOCs are different. They are available free to anyone in the world with a broadband connection, the interactive capabilities of the internet adds dimensions not available in earlier technological attempts, and they arrive at a time when the current model for higher education seems
out-of-step with the demands of modern society. MOOCs will not destroy brick and mortar universities or community colleges, rather their introduction will lead the higher education establishment to modify the premise of what a liberal college education entails, to one that matches the needs of the modern world. Those needs include life-long learning programs, flexibility in time and place by means of “blended” instructional environments.