Disruptive Technology UNB

"Series authors were asked to consider the implications of the rise in online and blended learning on teaching, learning, the student experience and the physical infrastructure of campuses."

Some specific issues for MOOCs in HE and FE are handled in separate sections:  Education theory: are MOOCs an innovation or a continuation of prior ODL  Futurelearn - the UK MOOC platform: what will it offer  FE - can the sector profit from the maturing of MOOC formats  Completion and drop-out rates and metrics for MOOC quality  Technology evolution: how will learner analytics develop to enhance MOOCs

"The relationship between cost, access and quality is tight and significant within the mission and the goals of institutions and governments worldwide, and is frequently referred to as the 'iron triangle'; … innovations need to revise not only the learning processes, but also the underlying business models, in order to break the iron triangle."

Slate magazine. The title may sound negative, but the article is a positive endorsement of flipping the classroom.

That's upping the ante! "Previously, Google tried online education with Course Builder, a free tool for building MOOCs; the company plans to fold that project into MOOC.org, which will live on Google servers. The company has pledged to devote its development expertise to MOOC.org's open-source platform, which will be called Open edX."

EdX seems to be using a more thoughtful and effective approach to MOOCs than is typical.

"Though their official research is just beginning, the professors flipped their STEM classrooms as a pilot during the 2012-2013 academic year and gathered some first impressions on the matter. While Lape stresses that their preliminary research is just that - preliminary - she says the benefits of flipping a classroom are dubious."