The rise and fall of the “Massively Open Online Courses”

Abstract: The paper summarizes the actual debate about “massive open online courses” (MOOC), a concept that swept over like a “Tsunami” to European educators and universities since its first development in 2008. The definition of the so-called MOOCs, also referred to as a “disruptive educational innovation”, however, is not very precise and has led to some irritations and scepticism. Therefore, the ideas MOOCs rely on, will be described and the pedagogical and technological background will be explained by detailed descriptions of concrete examples. After setting the scene, the factors responsible for the initial hype about MOOCs will be analyzed as well as the upcoming criticism raised against the arguments of the MOOC proponents. The model of the Gartner hype cycle serves as a useful illustration of the ups and downs of expectations related to the introduction of educational innovations. The discussion will be supplemented by a brief flash back on prior developments in distance .... https://www.seejph.com/index.php/seejph/article/view/1804

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: The rise and fall of the “Massively Open Online Courses” ; day:07 ; month:12 ; year:2015 ; South eastern european journal of public health ; (07.12.2015)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Wolfram Laaser

Further information

• DOI: 10.4119/seejph-1804
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2020070114202773299694
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:44 AM CEST