Ireland needs to get up to speed on MOOCs

What is Ireland doing about Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)? For some years, lectures from major universities have been available, free, on the internet.

The Openculture website lists 750 American courses: you can follow a Yale professor discussing the American Civil War — in Youghal. Hundreds of offerings are available through the UK Open University’s Openlearn website, and through the business-focused Alison.com. MOOCs go a step further. (Massive is a nerd-word: it means anybody can enrol. Most courses are short.)

Online presentations are linked with email groups which provide weekly study materials and enable students to communicate and take tests — all free. There is no diploma, but a completed progress page may impress employers.