The advance of the MOOCs (massive open online courses) : The impending globalisation of business education?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the rapid development of the massive open online courses (MOOCs) and the implications for business education, to critically examine the educational and business models of the MOOCs, to assess their present scale and scalability, and to explore the responses of the universities to this challenge.Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides an analysis of the origins, structure and orientation of the MOOCs, assesses their future trajectory and compares this development with earlier waves of e‐learning.Findings – The massive open online courses have considerable potential for growth with high quality products supported by leading universities. However they still need to resolve issues other e‐learning organisations have faced including assessment, high drop out rates, and how to maintain viability.Research limitations/implications – The MOOCs remain at a developmental stage, and it is not yet apparent whether their growth trajectories will be as ambitious...

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