The state of MOOCs from 2008 to 2014: A critical analysis and future visions

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are providing limitless opportunities for thousands of learners to participate in free higher education courses online. Indeed, MOOCs have drastically changed the way we learn as well as how we teach. MOOCs have unique features that make it an effective Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) approach in higher education and beyond. The number of academic research around MOOCs has grown rapidly in the last few years. The purpose of this paper is to compile and analyze the state of MOOC research that has been conducted from 2008-2014. A template analysis was used to map the conducted studies on MOOCs into seven dimensions, namely concept, design, learning theories, case studies, business model, targets groups, and assessment. This classification schema aims at providing a comprehensive overview for readers who are interested in MOOCs to foster a common understanding of key concepts in this emerging field. The paper further identifies critical challenges that have yet to be addressed and suggests opportunities for future work in the area of MOOCs that will support communication between researchers as they seek to address these challenges.