Considerations and Challenges on the Development of Medical Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): A Promising Path Towards the Improvement and Widening of Medical Education

Stavroula Koulocheri, A.

Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece

Dr. Stavroula Koulocheri, A., Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece.

Keywords: MOOCs; Massive Open Online Course; Technology Enhanced Learning; Medical Education; Healthcare Education

Abstract

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have seen remarkable rise in the last few years as a medium of delivering high quality course content to learners. MOOCs are a new type of online class with content delivered on line, that anyone, anywhere, can learn through video lectures, slideshows, computer graded tests, and discussion forums. The important is that these courses enable the free exploration. Everyone can take something, can learn something new. Learners also have the opportunity to get a meaningful credential at the end. The first online platforms offering multiple MOOCs emerged since 2012, with edX, Coursera and Udacity. Other platforms have since emerged, including Futurelearn, a UK-based Open University venture. These platforms have partnered with top universities and institutions, among them MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, John Hopkins, Princeton, and others, to offer free courses online for anyone. Many newer MOOCs focusing on open-access delivery of specific subject content have expanded the number and variety of courses provided, offering courseware to millions of students worldwide. After MOOCs series, now there is a wave of MOOC offerings that include an option to earn credit towards specific degrees (through programs such as edX’s MicroMasters and Coursera’s MasterTrack). Maybe the biggest change MOOCs will induce is a move towards a global system of education. The potential impact of MOOCs on healthcare education is worthy of attention.

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