Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Massively open? College unbound? What are the roots of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and how much of a trend is it? What promises and anxieties do MOOCs bring to higher education, academic leaders, and faculty? 2013 has witnessed one of the most rapid and enthusiastic adoptions of educational innovation in history, generating numerous discussions on an endless list of questions and issues related to MOOCs and open educational resources. To better understand these questions, this article uses a PEST framework to scan the macro environment through Political, Economic, Social, and Technological lenses. Implications for higher education, faculty, professionals, and students are discussed.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adamopoulos

(2013). What makes a great MOOC? An interdisciplinary analysis of student retention in online courses. Proceedings of the Thirty Fourth International Conference on Information Systems, Milan.

Ahn

Bulter

B. S.

Alam

Webster

S. A.

(2013). Learner participation and engagement in open online courses: Insights from the Peer 2 Peer University. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 160–171.

Allen

Seaman

(2011). Going the distance—Online education in the United States. Babson Survey Research Group. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/goingthedistance.pdf

Allen

I. E.

Seaman

(2013). Changing course: Ten years of tracking online education in the United States. Babson Park, MA: Babson Survey Research Group and Quahog Research Group. Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/changing_course_2012

Atkins

D. E.

Brown

J. S.

Hammond

A. L.

(2007, February). A review of the open educational resources (OER) movement: Achievements, challenges, and new opportunities. Report to The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.hewlett.org/uploads/files/ReviewoftheOERMovement.pdf

Board

(2013, May). Establishment open door for MOOCs. In MOOC Moment—A selection of inside higher ed articles and essays on massive open online courses, Inside Higher Ed, pp. 9–12. Retrieved from: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/IHE_MoocBooklet.pdf

Bush

Best

(2012). Higher Ed in 2018. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/05/23/essay-predicting-radical-change-higher-education-over-next-five-#.

Chao

Peng

Nunes

M. B.

(2007). Using PEST analysis as a tool for refining and focusing contexts for information systems research. Proceedings of 6th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies. Retrieved from http://sandralin1098200090.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/62156959/Using%2520PEST%2520Analysis%2520as%2520a%2520Tool.pdf

Clow

(2013). MOOCs and the funnel of participation. Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (pp. 185–189). Leuven, Belgium: ACM.

10.

Daniel

(2012). Making sense of MOOCs: Musings in a maze of myth, paradox and possibility. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 3, 1–20. Retrieved from http://jime.open.ac.uk/article/2012–18/pdf

11.

Doherty

Steel

Parrish

(2012). The challenges and opportunities for professional societies in higher education in Australasia: A PEST analysis. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 28(1), 105–121.

12.

Fini

(2009). The Technological dimension of a massive open online course: The case of the CCK08 course tools. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(5). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/viewArticle/643

13.

Fowler

G. A.

(2013). An early report card on massive open online courses. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303759604579093400834738972.html

14.

Gannes

(2013). More moolah for MOOCs: Coursera raises another $20M. All Things D. Retrieved from: http://allthingsd.com/20131122/more-moolah-for-moocs-coursera-raises-another-20m/

15.

Gardner

Young

J. R.

(2013, March). California's move toward MOOCs sends shock waves, but key questions remain unanswered. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/A-Bold-Move-Toward-MOOCs-Sends/137903/

16.

Glance

D. G.

Forsey

Riley

(2012, May). The pedagogical foundations of massive open online courses. Peer-Reviewed Journal on The Internet, 18(5). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/4350/3673

17.

Halik

(2012). The application of PEST analysis based on EBRD and IBRD methodology. Central European Business Review, 1(3), 14–21.

18.

Haywood

(2012). No such thing as a free MOOC. Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). Retrieved from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/blog/no-such-thing-as-a-free-mooc-20-jul-2012

19.

Hill

(2013). The most thorough summary (to date) of MOOC completion rates [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.mfeldstein.com/the-most-thorough-summary-to-date-of-mooc-completion-rates/

20.

Hockfield

(2012). Quoted in MIT and Harvard launch a “revolution in education.” Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/edx-launched-0502.html

21.

Irvine

(2009). The emergence of choice in “multi-access” learning environments: Transferring locus of control of course access to the learner. In Siemens

Fulford

(Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2009 (pp. 746–752). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.

22.

Ivine

Code

Richards

(2013). Realigning higher education for the 21st-century learner through multi-access learning. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 172–186.

23.

Jenkins

(2013). Who is driving the online locomotive? Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Who-Is-Driving-the-Online/140505/

24.

Kolowich

(2012). Will MOOCs make money? Inside Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/11/experts-speculate-possible-busines-models-mooc-providers

25.

Kolowich

(2013a). California puts MOOC bill on ice. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/california-puts-mooc-bill-on-ice/45215

26.

Kolowich

(2013b). The professors who make the MOOCs. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/The-Professors-Behind-the-MOOC/137905/#id=overview

27.

Kop

(2011). The challenges of connectivist learning on open online networks: Learning experiences during a massive open online course. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(3), 19–38.

28.

Lewin

(2013). Public universities to offer free online classes for credit. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/education/public-universities-to-offer-free-online-classes-for-credit.html?ref=education&_r=3&.

29.

Liyoshi

Kumar

S. V.

(2008). Opening up education: The collective advancement of education through open technology, open content, and open knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.

30.

Lombardi

M. M.

(2013). The inside story: Campus decisions making in the wake of the latest MOOC Tsunami. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 239–248.

31.

Mackness

Mak

Williams

(2010). The ideals and reality of participating in a MOOC. Paper presented at the Seventh International Conference on Networked Learning, Aalborg, Denmark. Retrieved from http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/organisations/netlc/past/nlc2010/abstracts/PDFs/Mackness.pdf

32.

Mak

(2011). Unpaid student loans top $1 trillion. Politico. Retrieved from http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66347.html

33.

Marshall

S. J.

(2013). Evaluating the strategic and leadership challenge of MOOCs. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2). Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol9no2/marshall_0613.htm

34.

Mavin

Robson

(2010). The evaluation of learning and development in the workplace: Scanning the external environment. Higher Education Funding Council for England. Retrieved from http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/static/5007/hrpdf/hefce/hefce_scanning.pdf

35.

Mazoue

J. G.

(2013, January). The MOOC model: Challenging traditional education. EDUCAUSE Review. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/mooc-model-challenging-traditional-education

36.

Milligan

Littlejohn

Margaryan

(2013). Patterns of Engagement in Connectivist MOOCs. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 149–159.

37.

Pence

H. E.

(2012). When will college truly leave the building: If MOOCs are the answer, what is the question? Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 41(1), 25–33.

38.

Piech

Huang

Chen

Koller

(2013). Tuned models of peer assessment in MOOCs. Proceedings of The 6th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM 2013). Retrieved from http://arxiv.org/pdf/1307.2579v1.pdf

39.

Porter

J. E.

(2013). MOOCs, “Courses,” and the question of faculty and student copyrights. The CCCCC-IP Annual: Top Intellectual Property Developments of 2012, 8, 2–21. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Groups/CCCC/Committees/TopIP2012Collection.pdf#page=5

40.

Potip

Sharma

(1998). Analysis of Australian export of higher education to Thailand: A Victorian study. Australasian Association for Institutional Research: AAIR 1998 Forum Papers. Retrieved from http://www.aair.org.au/app/webroot/media/pdf/AAIR%20Fora/Forum1998/PotpShma.pdf

41.

Rodriguez

C. O.

(2012). MOOCs and the Al-Stanford like courses: Two successful and distinct course formats for massive open online courses. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 2. Retrieved from http://www.eurodl.org/?p=archives&year=2012&halfyear=2&article=516

42.

Rudzki

R. E. J.

(1995). The application of a strategic management model to the internationalization of higher education institutions. Higher Education, 29, 421–441. Retrieved from http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/207/art%253A10.1007%252FBF01383961.pdf?auth66=1396191228_19f2bc6c09e8b9da8aff9d64b33f0c39&ext=.pdf

43.

Ruth

(2012). Can MOOCs and existing e-learning efficiency paradigms help reduce college costs? International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, 8(1), 21–32.

44.

Siemens

(2013). Massive open online courses: Innovation in education. In McGreal

Kinuthia

Marshall

(Eds.), Open educational resources: Innovation, research and practice (pp. 5–16). Canada: Commonwealth of Learning, Athabasca University.

45.

Stewart

(2013). Massiveness + openness = new literacies of participation? MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 228–238.

46.

The College Board. (2011). Trends in College Pricing 2011, 3. Retried from http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/College_Pricing_2011.pdf

47.

The National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011015.pdf

48.

The New Media Horizon Report. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-horizon-report-HE.pdf

49.

The White House Website. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/higher-education

50.

Thomas

(2007). An analysis of the environment and competitive dynamics of management education. Journal of Management Development, 26(1), 9–21.

51.

Young

J. R.

(2012). Campuses look to digital tools for savings, and reinvention. Almanac of Higher Education 2012. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Leaders-Look-to-Technology-for/133932/

52.

Young

J. R.

(2013). California State U. will experiment with offering credit for MOOCs. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://chronicle.com/article/California-State-U-Will/136677/

53.

Weller

Anderson

(2013). Digital resilience in higher education. European Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 16(1), 53–62.

Going to College Online? A Pest Analysis of MOOCs

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References