In

context In recent years, online companies have transformed traditional products and services by providing free access to content which previously had a price: Google for search and software, Spotify for music and Wikipedia for reference, to name but a few. At the same time, access to the Internet and broadband has increased rapidly, (as of 2013, 77 % of the developed world and 31 % of the developing world has Internet access1) and huge growth in mobile connectivity particularly in the developing world has brought online content and interaction to a global audience. However, whilst free online content has undoubtedly revolutionised access to, and the sharing of, information there are also a number of risks associated with it: exploitation of the user as the ‘product’, lack of quality control and review, copyright issues, poor protection and/or use of the user’s data, and the frequent possibility of overhype. It is into this arena that higher education is now stepping with the advent of massive open online courses (MOOCs). Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are no strangers to the delivery of online content (e.g. Open Educational Resources, Virtual Learning Environments) but MOOCs have captured the press and public’s interest in a way that few initiatives have in the past and as such have attracted extremes of both praise and skepticism. It is this paper’s aim to provide an overview of the history and types of MOOCs, their global scope, and the associated risks and benefits of their use