Innovative and revolutionary potential of MOOCs

Abstract

The phenomenal development of MOOCs in recent years has made an earthquake in the field of higher education globally. In essence, it is less a localized revolution that simply applies internet technologies into education, or “‘a discussion on teaching reformation and new teaching models’ happening within the superficial structures of universities,” than a systematic revolution in education driven by the dominant genes of the free, open internet, and an innovation of the organization/service mode of higher education by use of the recessive genes such as big data and organization process reengineering (Guo et al. 2013). The new model of online education, represented by MOOCs, is now demonstrating its power by breaking through the traditional educational system and models and has become an important driving force in reform and development of higher education internationally. To promote the educational reform by making use of the opportunities brought by MOOCs, it will be fundamental to get an accurate understanding of the innovative nature of MOOCs through analysis. MOOCs take different forms in practice. These different forms share similarities but also have many differences. In this chapter, based on the case studies of cMOOCs and xMOOCs, we will try to analyze the innovative nature of MOOCs and discuss their potential in revolutionizing higher education.