Chapter1
MOOC – introduction to the problem
Definition
MOOC [4] are courses:
  • designed for a large number of participants,
  • accessible to anyone with an internet connection, from anywhere,
  • open to all with no requirement of initial knowledge, and
  • a course is offered completely free.
MOOCs are now an integral part of modern online education. MOOC is an English acronym whose meaning is massive open online course. The individual words have their own essential meaning.
  • Massive – the word refers to a large number of students. A MOOC is not for tens or hundreds of people, but for thousands or tens of thousands (or even more in some cases) of students. How can this be achieved? Firstly, the choice of the course language will help: thousands of students can be reached much more easily if the course is in English, for example; on the other hand, courses prepared in Czech may appeal to far fewer people. Furthermore, the course must have an attractive topic, be adequately developed and have a suitable (excellent!) lecturer(s). And it has to be offered in such a way that the information about its existence reaches potential candidates. There is also a theoretical minimum of 150 course participants.
  • Open – available to all without restriction. What does this mean? No previous knowledge (prerequisites) or education is required to complete the course. This does not mean that every course has to be for beginners; however, it is important that even in an advanced course, enrolment in the course cannot be conditioned, for example, by an entrance test. And openness means in particular that the (whole) course, i.e. all educational content, is free, so the interested person is not limited by lack of money (or unwillingness to spend it). However, there is one big BUT. It is indeed free to sign up for the course, browse parts of it and complete the specified activities. Many courses allow you to issue a certificate upon completion and may not be free. Certificate prices vary – often between $100 and $200. Any additional fees then depend on the business model of the course – additional services may be offered for money, such as academic tutoring or remedial courses.
  • On-line – the course is accessible via electronic communication networks and all course-related activities are conducted remotely. This means that the course participant is not limited by his/her current geographical location and can take the course from anywhere. The prerequisite is, of course, an internet connection and appropriate technical equipment for the course participant. On the other hand, it should be noted that not all activities associated with the course must necessarily be completed online. He/she can download some of the learning materials or objects (if the license allows it) and use them offline according to his/her needs.
  • Course – the MOOC should contain everything needed to learn the subject, e.g.: learning objectives, syllabus, lesson plans, text documents (scripts), instructional videos, exercises, tests, communication with other course participants (forums, social media), links to other resources. These components of the MOOC are usually organized into teaching weeks; the individual weeks have a similar structure. The minimum course size is 1 ECTS [3], which corresponds to a study effort of 25-30 hours.
Summary
MOOC means "free online course", which is available to a large number of people without restrictions.
Does the MOOC have to be in English?
Can a MOOC include face-to-face activities?
Can a MOOC be charged?
Can enrollment in a MOOC course be conditional on an entrance test?