The emergence of the MOOC

The emergence of the so-called Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) is creating a real revolution in the way we learn.  The universalisation of access to higher education is only a small epiphenomenon of what digitalisation will mean for access to knowledge. The Internet has in many ways revolutionised the world of classical education, opening up knowledge to an audience that 20 or 40 years ago would not have been able to dream of having access to the training provided by the world’s most elite universities, such as Harvard or Stanford. MOOCs are short-term courses offered by universities free of charge. Initially, the number of students is unlimited, although in some cases the number is limited to ensure the quality of the course. The student-teacher relationship through open forums and very open and specific topics make the MOOCs the consideration of the new form of lifelong learning.