Massive Open Online Courses as a Disruptive Innovation in Higher Education

Abstract

Online learning is disrupting higher education. However, many online initiatives are perceived as being low quality despite evidence to refute that claim (Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia, & Jones, 2009). MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses are a platform for delivering online courses for free. MOOCs, a vehicle for the mass delivery of course materials and lectures, have gained incredible popularity. Over five million students have registered for MOOCs (Daniel, Cano, & Cervera, 2015), making education accessible and affordable. As such, MOOCs are shaking up higher education institutions with a threat to steer students away from the conventional forms of education (Kalman, 2014). This study will review the literature on MOOCs to examine the impact MOOCs are having on higher education, to determine if a viable business model is feasible, and to evaluate the value proposition to students.

Keywords: Massive open online course, MOOC, higher education, online learning