Evaluation of trends in open education with focus on massive open online courses

Mass Open Online Courses have been a phenomenon in education in the past few years. Although their popularity is globaly on the rise, it is not yet clear how sustainable MOOCs really are in the long run. Lack of academic texts and non- existing set of guidelines for the design and implementation of effective and successful MOOCs is one of today's problems. The aim of this paper is to create such criteria that can assess the MOOC quality and success, and subsequently assess current MOOC approach and effectivity as well as outline steps to increase their efficacy. In the paper, I present a novel analysis method of potential MOOC efficacy indicators. Then, based on created criteria, I define the importance of lector's active role in the course, the need for clear formulation and communication of rules, goals and expectations, and the significance of setting high course standards. At the end, I suggest ways of utilizing this thesis for further research