This book situates Massive Open Online Courses and open learning within a broader educational, economic and social context. It raises questions regarding whether Massive Open Online Courses effectively address demands to open up access to education by triggering a new education order, or merely represent reactionary and unimaginative responses to those demands. It offers a fresh perspective on how we conceptualise learners and learning, teachers and teaching, accreditation and quality, and how these dimensions fit within the emerging landscape of new forms of open learning.


Allison Littlejohn is a Professor of Learning Technology and Academic Director of Digital Innovation at the Open University, UK. Professor Littlejohn’s research chiefly focuses on Professional and Digital Learning. Her research examines how professionals are learning and changing their practice contexts in the Energy, Health, Finance and Education sectors. Allison is a Fellow and former Scholar of the Higher Education Academy and has received international fellowships from ASCILITE (Australasia) and the Churchill Trust (UK). She has been a series editor for Routledge since 2007.Nina Hood is a lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland. Her research chiefly examines the role that digital technologies can play in supporting and enhancing education, and in particular facilitating professional learning opportunities and knowledge mobilisation. In addition to her work in online knowledge mobilisation, Nina has also undertaken research projects on open education resources (OER) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Nina also is the founder and director of The Education Hub, a not-for-profit with a mission to bridge the gap between research and practice in education.