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MOOCs - Massive Open Online Courses: MOOCs & OERs

This LibGuide provides information relevant to various aspects covering MOOCs. Please also take a look at the LibGuide on Open Educational Resources

Are OERS MOOCs - Are MOOCs OERS?

MOOCs are often associated with Open Educational Resources as they are theoretically focusing on Open Education.

The main feature of Open Educational Resources is their open licenses, allowing for the possibility of use and reuse. 

So,  though MOOCs are offered with open education access and are mainly free, in most cases their contents are not necessarily released with open licences, hence making a key distinction from Open Educational Resources (OER)

 

So in essence, the key differences between OERs and MOOCs are:

 

OER

  • Most materials can be remixed and redistributed.
  • Free class materials like outlines and syllabi - not full courses.
  • No faculty participation - The faculty have placed their materials out there for your use, but there is no further interaction after that.

 

MOOC's

  • MOOC's are not changeable in ANY way!
  • Full or mini courses with a definite start and end date.
  • Faculty or graduate assistant participation.

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