I think if it is a method then be conceived as a method of teaching and learning.

Anyway, you could be conceived as a means of organizing the teaching-learning process

MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). It refers to a web-based class designed to support a large number of participants. It's an online course aimed at large-scale with interactive participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings, and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user forums that help build a community for the students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs). MOOCs are a recent development in distance education. 

Rey:

Octavio gave you a really good definition of a MOOC and it appears to be form of course delivery that requires a more student-centered approach to teaching and learning. Here's a ResearchGate study for your perusal:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275223565_Learning_outside_the_classroom_through_MOOCs

Article Learning outside the classroom through MOOCs

MOOCs is a learning environment not a method. Learning process take place via MOOCs and this does not replace learning methods such as those listed on the attached paper see page 6. 

Such a good question. "Learning method" itself is hard to define. Is it an instructional design method? A pedagogy? 

I agree with John K. Marco Pima that a MOOC can be seen as a learning environment.

In a sense, it is also a platform and an approach to course design: video lectures, quizzes for assessment, online discussions, some assignments.

But then the same general 'design' is used in many contexts and environments, and on many platforms.

From that perspective, it seems there is little distinctive about MOOCs. As such, the term "method" doesn't seem to fit well. 

But you could make a case, if you so desired.

I think the first problem to answering your question is in the use of the term learning method, instead of teaching method, or maybe educational method. If we consider the goal of learning, we can devise a strategy (e.g. getting as much information about something of our interest, search for online courses on the topic and subscribe to the best one), and implement it using a method (e.g. search in scholar.google first, then in Wikipedia; sort courses by the prestige of their delivering institutions and choose the one at the top).

Now, if we consider the goal of teaching, we can say there are strategies derived from general theories of learning (e.g. constructivism, connectivism) such as problem-based learning, project-based learning, case-based learning, collaborative learning. These are implemented using particular methods (instructional designs) which are in turn implemented using scenarios, tools, content and processes, which together with actors (teachers, assistants, students) conform an environment for teaching and learning, such as MOOC.

MOOCs are platforms that support learning methods. For example, self-directed learning is possible while following a MOOC.

Debra Sharon Ferdinand got it right.. MOOC isnt a learning environment or a method. Its just a different style of engagement/delivery. Many MOOCs are run from standard VLE's or social media platform.... so its not a VLE in itself.... its certainly not a teaching method in itself. 

Ultimately a MOOC just refers to who your target audience is.

"Massive" = Targeting a large group.

"Open" = Not restricted to a specific cohort.

"Online" = Accessible internationally through the internet.

All of which describe qualities of your learners, not the technologies or approaches you are using. 

Thats all it is. Not a method, not a VLE, not a platform... 

I tend to agree with Rafael and others that posit MOOCs are more a platform and environment to support more open, large-scale opportunities for teaching and learning, where a MOOC is not a learning method in and of itself.

I heard a leader from Harvard edX comment about what the future iterations of MOOCs may look like and he said, well, they may not necessarily have to be massive, they may not always be open. They are probably online, but may not be structured like formal online courses. He seemed to be suggesting smaller chunks of self-directed learning, more just-in-time, and with some means of financial sustainability (IMHO).

Indeed when looking at the history of distance-based education, and the Open Education Resources (OER) movement, MOOCs seem to be an natural evolution of these efforts, where more intentional learner-learner interactions are provided for an entire continuum of learners, from those that merely desire to access the course materials, to those that complete a portion of the engagement opportunities, to those that intended at the outset to complete the entire course, and take/turn-in additional work "for credit".

MOOCs seem like another variant of and outcome of instructional systems design where you look to maximize the chance for learning to occur given input constraints, target audience, etc.  How might you leverage the various affordances when looking across instructional methods, delivery modes and the delivery mediums.

Dear Rey Segundo: Do not write English well, however, I want to give my opinion :

The MOOCs are ways to organize and develop online courses, with a focus on independent learning and intended to reach a wide audience approach. They have become a very interesting alternative to high-quality continuing education and involve themselves in the implementation of distance learning methodologies, but not a method.

For the self-motivated learner a well-structured MOOC can provide an effective shared learning opportunity. Technological and learning capacity can be of a high caliber if the course, instructor and learner have the right set of characteristics. 

That being said, a MOOC compromises an essential element of the traditional learning-teaching environment: ongoing two-way feedback. For this reason I would not consider it suitable for unmotivated or weak students, and even the average student with average motivation is far less likely to actually complete a course. Fortunately course completion tends to be a bit of a self-selection criterion in the case of MOOCs. 

Online learning remains territory with great potential, but providing learners - and instructors - with the necessary support is a challenge that is far from being consistently met, and this problem increases with class size (particularly the MOOC). 

Nutshell: Are MOOCs worth trying? Absolutely, especially for the motivated learner with a strong background in the subject area. Should MOOCs be required? Not yet. Should MOOCs be accredited? Only with very rigorous assessment procedures. 

When you say 'Method', it can also mean a system, strategy, mechanism, medium or means of doing a particular activity. Therefore when you consider what MOOC is; it is a a platform available online via the Internet that enables teaching and learning in a more flexible way to a larger audience using several technological tools. To the learner or student that engages with a MOOC platform, it serves as a means, mechanism or method to learn in a more flexible way while to the teacher, it is a means or method of facilitating the learning process to a larger audience of students or learners. My take is Massive Open Online Courses serve as platforms to extend pedagogic practices to a larger group of learners and at the same time give those who would have been unable to learn an avenue to learn through participation in the course offerings on the MOOC platforms.

I think MOOC is more a learning managment system

I agree with you Rey,

"mooc" is a general term for massive learning environments such as edX, couresra, udacity, etc., with different types of implementations (xMOOC, cMOOC and more). Revise MOOC taxonomy.

There is still worldwide a lot of research going on on MOOC´s pedagogy, andragogy and methodology.

Best,  Gian

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) make use of LMS (learning management sysgtem) to support their educational processes, but they are not LMS. As their name says, MOOCs are online courses.

MOOCs consist of different educational learning technologies that ease the educational information delivery. It is not a method, it is nearly a learning environment with great indicators. These indicators are social networks through forums, Videos, File downloads, getting in touch with the instructor and much more.

As a result, MOOCs are a learning environment with various technological/pedagogical methods.

Hope this helps!

Mohammad Khalil

No, MOOC are not a method. Method used are the same of "traditional" elearning courses. The key variable are the "massive" number of people involved.

A number of studies have shown that there is a high drop out rate, only 5-7% of students are enough motivated to reach a MOOC certification.

Learning methods: Yes, peer-tutoring  can help but I think that nothing is better than a good tutoring with small numbers of students.

The question is: we really need MOOC? The high numbers are really a good thing?

Interesting to see how they will evolve.

1. MOOCs is not a Learning Management System. 

2. They are online courses offered by Institutions which enable wider audiences/students globally.

3. Students can enrol the courses & opt to get a certificate at the end from the respective Institution (fees applied).

4. Example of MOOCs are Coursera & in Malaysia: Malaysia MOOCs Open Learning.

The only difference between MOOCs and the web-based college courses I teach is the number and background of students, hence the massive and open parts of the name. It is a type of distance learning. 

MOOCs are online course that research a massive amount of people in online learning classes. Yes I think MOOCs could be considered a learning method . It is a method of teaching self-motivated students through technology. Distant online programs do have methods of teaching.Such as Brain-Based Learning method that are included in the structure of the curricula.

Distant learning programs include a social environment through discussion question. Discussion room can also create a peer to peer learning environment. Distant learning programs are often global programs and offers a chance to meet people from all around the world, understand their perspectives and how they view education.

The online learning environment includes,reading,writing,videos,research and papers.

I think there could be a more well rounded experience in the MOOCs environment by adding pedagoroy agents (animated)

MOOCs to me is a platform and also a method. It is a platform as it offers the learning environment for learning to occur just as other online learning platforms (Voss, 2013).  It is considered a method as it provides the strategies that inform that platform.  

Using MOOCs methods involve mostly synchronous learning  although students can listen or do assignments at flexible times. Evaluations method is spontaneous and automated, in lectures that are usually short duration of 12-15 minutes long (Voss, 2013). I see others have made great responses to this question, and I feel MOOCs is particularly a wonderful platform and a methodology for developing countries.

It appears various institutions and faculty are partnering to provide MOOCs free courses for a greater good.

 Read this link for further info.: 

http://agb.org/sites/default/files/legacy/report_2013_MOOCs.pdf

The three MOOCs I have participated in have been delivered asynchronously with a schedule for weekly projects and discussions just as I do for 8 week courses I teach within our learning platform, Engage.  If enrollment in my course rose from the current manageable number to 2000 we would need more people to monitor projects and forums but the method would stay the same. Pedagogically speaking, I stand by my original statement that MOOCs are a type of distance learning and not a unique method or platform. The Open University (UK) was also open to all who could pay and is one of the models for online learning. The fact that online courses are free and open has enabled the massive student audience. My question: Is free, large, and open characteristic of a learning method(s)?  Or are these characteristic of educational egalitarianism and reach 

MOOCs simply refer to a type of course (which is massive, open and online) rather than a pedagogic method. They are a form of distance learning but apart from that we should be wary of generalising about their characteristics.

* Massive - means different things to different people - but implies huge enrolment (though not necessarily huge completion)

* Open - implies no barrier to enrolment, may or may not imply that resources used in the course can be considered 'open'

* Online - obviously implies the course delivery is via internet - but again because it is internet-enabled, it means there are quite a wide array of approaches. Broadly speaking the literature considers the main divide to be between the xMOOCs (content driven, tend to use a lot of video) and the cMOOCs (community driven 'connectivist' approach, tend to be discussion and social media driven).

MOOCs are definitely a design method for the delivery of specific content to large numbers of participants.  I guess the slip of the tongue, one is stating that the design translates into learning - hence the possible description of it being a learning method.  So to use external resources to influence thought the following definition taken from http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/learning-methods.aspx, seems to suggest that Rey's colleagues may be on to something.  The definition from the website states:

What are learning methods? - Learning methods may be defined as any interventions that are deliberately undertaken to assist the process of learning at individual, team or organisational level.

So if we use this definition a MOOC (an intervention used to assist the process of learning) can be a learning method.

I never thought of it as such but its a good question we should really think about..especially when we need to conduct research and sometimes we tend to haphazardly use jargon in our descriptors and explanations.

Deliberately undertaken by who? If teachers are considered, should it be called teaching method? Is any teacher deliberate intervention a learning/teaching method? E.g. smiling to students before starting each lesson.

Good question Rafael...:-)  So maybe the focus is to determine who the method is either

So its still a method which is the crux of the question ...now the point is to determine if it is a teaching or a learning method..:-)

And students can have independent learning methods, so they are not "being received" by them from teachers.