Perspectives in Engineering Education: The Emergence of Massive Open Online Courses

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) constitute an emerging tool increasingly used by leading universities worldwide. These courses possess a distinct characteristic: thousands of people around the world can enroll and work collaboratively, making use of free and exclusive content created by renowned professors. MOOCs have emerged in 2011 as a promising initiative that brings new possibilities to higher education and helps disseminate quality learning. It is important to mention that there were previous initiatives in online learning that resembled MOOCs, but they were based on different conceptions and belonged to a different historical context. In order to better understand the advent of MOOCs, a brief history of online education will be given. Then, the main characteristics as well as concerns involving these online learning platforms are examined. An emphasis is given to engineering courses and the actual initiatives, future challenges and the importance of further research. This analysis permits the understanding of the reasons why MOOCs have been acclaimed and to what extent they might reshape higher education.