Overarching themes of MOOCs: An integrative literature review

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) represent a growing means of offering mass instruction to students separated across distances and countries. MOOCs provide a flexible platform for instruction across numerous disciplines via the Internet. By incorporating a variety of online environments and discussion formats, MOOCs enable learners to engage with content and instructions in new ways. As MOOCs continue to evolve in design and involve more students, it becomes important to determine overarching themes in the literature discussing MOOCs. Such an investigation offers the potential to reveal new connections and ideas pertinent to the successful design and running of online courses. This article will offer a discussion and review of themes in the educational literature common to MOOCs, starting with an introduction to the current state of the MOOC space and the review process employed. This article will then provide a review and discussion of how these concepts and themes relate to the design of MOOCs