Characteristics of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs):

This review of research explores characteristics associated with massive open online courses (MOOCs). Three key characteristics are revealed: varied definitions of openness, barriers to persistence, and a distinct structure that takes the form as one of two pedagogical approaches. The concept of openness shifts among different MOOCs, models, researchers, and facilitators. The high dropout rates show that the barriers to learning are a significant challenge. Research has focused on engagement, motivation, and presence to mitigate risks of learner isolation. The pedagogical structure of the connectivist MOOC model (cMOOC) incorporates a social, distributed, networked approach and significant learner autonomy that is geared towards adult lifelong learners interested in personal or professional development. This connectivist approach relates to situated and social learning theories such as social constructivism (Kop, 2011). By contrast, the design of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence (AI) model (xMOOC) uses conventional directed instruction in the context of formal postsecondary educational institutions. This traditional pedagogical approach is categorized as cognitive-behaviorist (Rodriguez, 2012). These two distinct MOOC models attract different audiences, use different learning approaches, and employ different teaching methods. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the research describing the phenomenon of MOOCs in informal and postsecondary online learning. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a relatively new phenomenon sweeping higher education. By definition, MOOCs take place online. They could be affiliated with a university, but not necessarily. They are larger than typical college classes, sometimes much larger. They are open, which has multiple meanings evident in this research. While the literature is growing on this topic, it is yet limited. Scholars are taking notice of the literature around MOOCs in all its forms from conceptual to technical. Conference proceedings and magazine articles make up the majority of literature on MOOCs (Liyanagunawardena, Adams, & Williams, 2013). In order to better understand the characteristics associated with MOOCs, this review of literature focuses solely on original research published in scholarly journals. This emphasis on peer-reviewed research is an essential first step to form a more critical and comprehensive perspective by tempering the media hype. While most of the early scholarly research examines aspects of the cMOOC model, much of the hype and controversy surrounds the scaling innovation of the xMOOC model in postsecondary learning contexts. Naidu (2013) calls out the massive open online repetitions of failed pedagogy (MOORFAPs) and forecasts a transformation to massive open online learning opportunities (MOOLOs). Informed educators will be better equipped to make evidence-based decisions, foster the positive growth of this innovation, and adapt it for their own unique contexts. This research synthesis is framed by a withinand Journal of Interactive Online Learning Kennedy 2 between-study literature analysis (Onwuegbuzie, Leech, & Collins, 2012) and situated within the context of online teaching and learning.