How great would it be when you never have to bike through the rain or run to the tram to go to the university? Imagine that you can just stay in bed or on your couch and still get your degree. This would be possible when universities will become a platform using MOOCs. MOOCs are online courses with open access and unlimited participation. This sounds awesome, but what are the pros and cons of MOOCs?

Flexibility is a major advantage of online material for students. You could watch or look at the materials whenever you want, how often you want and with who you want. You can replay parts that you did not understand and if the professor talks to fast to write notes, you can pause the video to write down your notes. This flexibility could lead to a better perceived quality of the course by students (Marks, Sibley and Arbaugh, 2005). The ability to take free courses from top universities and top professors is another advantage. Most students would otherwise never been able to access these high quality courses.

However, one problem regarding online courses could be feedback. In lectures students will get immediate feedback, verbal and non-verbal, which would improve the student’s learning (Whitaker, 2016). Technological tools may restrict the flow of information between users (Whitaker, 2016). This leads to less interaction between, learners and less interaction between learner and instructor, which could affect the outcomes of students.

what could be seen as a negative effect is that a lot of universities will dissapear, because students will probably not go to universities which are not in de top 100 anymore. Although, it is a way to raise competitiveness among universities, which will challenge them to create the best experience for their students (Davis et al., 2014). But still, not every university will be able to compete with Harvard, Berkeley etc., and some universities will disappear because of the effects of MOOCS.

Another aspect is that networking is extremely important these days. When universities will shift to an entirely online form, students will not meet in person anymore. In my view it is quite important to see each other on campus or off campus, because this will lead to a richer connection (Laseter, 2012). Students could even feel isolated when they are not able or used to working online. There is evidence to assume that a blended form produces a stronger sense of community among students than either traditional or fully online courses (Rovai and Jordan, 20114).

Davis, H. C., Dickens, K., Leon Urrutia, M., Vera, S., del Mar, M., & White, S. (2014). MOOCs for Universities and Learners an analysis of motivating factors.

Laseter, T. (2012). The University’s Dilemma. Strategy + business magazine, 69, Retrieved from http://www.strategy-business.com/media/file/00147-The-Universitys-Dilemma

Marks, R. B., Sibley, S. D., & Arbaugh, J. B. (2005). A structural equation model of predictors for effective online learning. Journal of Management Education, 29(4), 531-563.

Rovai, A. P., & Jordan, H. (2004). Blended learning and sense of community: A comparative analysis with traditional and fully online graduate courses. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 5(2).

Whitaker, J., New, J. R., & Ireland, R. D. (2016). MOOCs and the Online Delivery of Business Education What’s new? What’s not? What now?. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 15(2), 345-365.