To MOOC or Not to MOOC - How Can Online Learning Help to Build the Future of Higher Education?

Scarcely a week goes by without coverage in the UK and international media about the latest MOOC revelation. Despite some significant initiatives in the dotcom era, online learning has somehow never delivered on its promise to revolutionize education. To MOOC or not to MOOC explores the history of MOOCs and analyses the current MOOC context by describing six institutions and the story of their engagement with MOOCs. Looking at each of the different type of institution in turn, it analyses the processes behind their decision to engage with online learning and MOOCs, how the MOOC project is managed and led, and discusses issues such as quality assurance, governance and partnerships. Chapters draw together and analyse the data and draw out advice for institutions, to help them make choices about how to respond to MOOCs and other high-impact changes in digital education. The book contains checklists and planning tools to support strategy and planning, and concludes with a future look at MOOCs  exploring some of the possible trends that may impact upon higher education, such as business models, data and analytics, learning design and competitors in the MOOC marketplace.

• Aimed at higher educational professionals who are interested in the strategic importance and potential of online learning
• Written from an understanding of the strategic context for senior managers in universities
• Focus upon a major trend in technology and education illustrated by concrete examples of real practice in institutions
• Implement case studies to draw out conclusions not only about online learning but also decision-making and innovation

Sarah Porter is currently an academic visitor at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford where she is researching how universities can better adapt to their current and future challenges and to embrace the opportunities that are offered to them through new developments such as MOOCs.