The Future of MOOCs: Adaptive Learning or Business Model?

Main Article Content

Sir John Daniel
Esteban Vázquez Cano
Mercè Gisbert

Currently, many MOOCs are designed as a collection of videos with a forum using some traditional distance learning models, but they do not promote adaptive and personalized learning. These features, together with the quality of the training process, must be the main challenges for the coming years.

These types of courses can have a formative role in higher education, not only in countries where MOOCs are already offered but also in less economically developed countries. To make this possible MOOCs must adopt different teaching strategies to promote personalized learning and offer some form of accreditation and certification.

The future of MOOCs can be understood if we approach it from five dimensions: the teaching model, monetization, certification, adaptive learning and MOOCs for developing countries.
Keywords
MOOC, adaptive learning, certification, higher education, teaching model, quality

Article Details

How to Cite
Daniel, Sir John et al. “The Future of MOOCs: Adaptive Learning or Business Model?”. RUSC, Universities & Knowledge Society, vol.VOL 12, no. 1, pp. 64-73, doi:10.7238/rusc.v12i1.2475.
Author Biographies

Sir John Daniel, Chair, International Quality Group, Council for Higher Education Accreditation (USA)

Sir John Daniel is a 40-year veteran of open learning and distance education, he was Vice-Chancellor of the UK Open University for 11 years and served as Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO.

#205 – 3133 Cambie Street

Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4N2

Canada

Esteban Vázquez Cano, Professor in the Department of Teaching and School Organization, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Spain

Vázquez Cano has a PhD in Education and has published several books and articles about the rise of MOOCs and their implications for higher education. After 15 years as a teacher, principal and educational supervisor in Spain and the US, he now works in the Department of Teaching and School Organization at Spain’s Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (National Distance Education University, UNED). 

C/Juan del Rosal 14

28040 Madrid

Mercè Gisbert, Professor in the Department of Education, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Spain

Gisbert Cervera has a PhD in Education and has been a professor in the Department of Education at Tarragona’s Universitat Rovira i Virgili for 25 years. She is a specialist in ICT applied to education and coordinates the Applied Research Group in Education and Technology and the inter-university PhD programme in Educational Technology.

 

Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URL)

Facultat de Ciències de l’Educació i Psicologia

Carretera de Valls, s/n

43007 Tarragona