OER to MOOCs: In Defence of Open

This special issue of IRRODL on OER and MOOCs is supported by UNESCO, which has also provided funding to enlarge and promote IRRODL’s inclusion of OER and other forms of open distributed education research. The two are irrevocably connected: MOOCs, originally based on OER and other free content, have expanded from the OER movement and have been assembled or linked (by students and/or instructors) to form full courses. Although OER can be used online or offline in traditional classroom settings whereas MOOCs are available only online, both OER and MOOCs can provide efficient, cost-effective flexible educational opportunities to large numbers of learners. The most popular form of xMOOCs (the mostly video-based, computerised courses delivered by Coursera, Udacity etc.) have been accused of “open-washing ” – claiming to be open but resting on copyright-restricted “closed ” content rather than using an open licence. Nevertheless, both OER and MOOCs represent important developments in the educational ecosystem, positing sustainable approaches to opening up educational opportunities to large numbers of learners internationally. These innovations will help to meet the rapidly growing worldwide need for affordable access to education. In this editorial, I would like to clarify some “OER/MOOC facts. ” Firstly, it is becoming customary now to use the acronym “OER ” to refer to both one or more Open Education Resources, rather than the seemingly more grammatically correct “OERs. ” OER, therefore, can be both singular and plural. This trend has not extended to the plural of “MOOC, ” which remains “MOOCs.