Higher Education in a Networked World: European Responses to U.S. MOOCs

Van Dijck, J. & T. Poell. 2015. Higher Education in a Networked World: European Responses to U.S. MOOCs. International Journal of Communication 9: 2674–2692.

19 Pages Posted: 18 Aug 2015

See all articles by José van Dijck

José van Dijck

University of Amsterdam

Thomas Poell

University of Amsterdam (UvA)

Date Written: August 17, 2015

Abstract

Since 2012, platforms for massive open online courses (MOOCs), such as Coursera, Udacity, and edX, have had a considerable impact on established forms of higher education, both online and off-line, private and public. What are the technocommercial and sociocultural dynamics underlying the organization of MOOCs? This article first describes how MOOCs are built on the same mechanisms underpinning the overall ecosystem of connective platforms. Second, it inventories how European public universities have responded to MOOCs. Finally, the article theorizes how the surge of global online MOOCs impacts the definition of higher education as a public good. To sustain public systems of college education, governments and university administrators will need to address the networked infrastructure that undergirds national and global alliances.

Keywords: Educational Technology, Higher Education, Digital Media & Learning, Learning And Teaching In Higher Education, Social Media Marketing, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Suggested Citation

van Dijck, José and Poell, Thomas, Higher Education in a Networked World: European Responses to U.S. MOOCs (August 17, 2015). Van Dijck, J. & T. Poell. 2015. Higher Education in a Networked World: European Responses to U.S. MOOCs. International Journal of Communication 9: 2674–2692. , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2645629

José Van Dijck

University of Amsterdam ( email )

Spui 21
Netherlands

Thomas Poell (Contact Author)

University of Amsterdam (UvA) ( email )

Spui 21
Amsterdam, 1018 WB
Netherlands

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