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The Internet and the proliferation of computers and smartphones have enabled the digital learning process. E-learning is a process that allows for learning through the use of virtual technologies. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) represent an e-learning subset that enables any member of the learning community to enrol into any course they choose from any top university (Hone & El Said, 2016)—something that is not possible in the traditional learning environment. MOOCs have recently become one of the mainstream learning methodologies due to the situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in which formal classroom learning became unfeasible. The main MOOC features are massive scale and openness, which allow for the maximisation of learner access and interaction (Chen et al., 2018). With MOOCs' help, learners can reskill or upskill in any of their interest areas, which advances their job competence. MOOCs deliver courses only through internet-based services and predefined content, such as video lectures and lecture materials (Wu & Chen, 2017). The assessment is based on online quizzes, peer-reviewed assignments, and projects. MOOCs have become very popular in higher education due to their numerous benefits, which allow students to learn about any topic of their choice—thus enhancing their job opportunities without geographical constraints. They allow students and instructors to interact with the help of virtual classrooms across borders and irrespective of the participants' diverse socioeconomic backgrounds (Khan et al., 2018). MOOCs have evolved from free to paid programs that focus on traditional higher education students to enhance their skills and fill the shortage gap in learning advanced topics (Lambert, 2020). They offer flexibility in learning and cut costs in education by offering options such as pay-as-you-go (Hone & El Said, 2016).
Many Ivy League universities offer postgraduate programs through MOOCs. The leading MOOC platform—Coursera—has 49 million users enrolled as of December 2019 in collaboration with more than 200 leading universities and companies, offering a total of 4,179 courses (Coursera, 2020). Similarly, edX, Udacity, FutureLearn, and Swayam are the other leading MOOC platforms in terms of the number of users enrolled and courses offered (Shah, 2019). Coursera, edX, Udacity, Edureka, Alison, Udemy, Pluralsight, Simplilearn, Miriadax, LinkedIn, Khan Academy, Skillshare, Jigsaw Academy, iversity, intellipaat, FutureLearn, NovoEd, WizIQ, XuetangX, Federica, Linkstreet Learning, and Kadenze are the major players in the MOOCs market (MarketDigits, 2021). The government of India has initiated a MOOC platform called Swayam, which offers courses from school education to postgraduate studies to make quality education available to all social classes. According to Swayam’s data, there are 10 million students enrolled. The courses Swayam offers are integrated into India’s traditional higher-degree education, where students can transfer the credits that they acquire through Swayam to their regular degrees (ICEF,2020). The University Grants Commission (UGC), India's regulatory body for higher education, has authorized various universities and colleges to offer 40 percent of their total number of courses in a particular semester of multiple programs through Swayam.
MOOCs' future looks bright in terms of massive content on a wide range of topics, a large number of participants from around the world, and market growth. MOOC providers must focus more on simulation-based teaching in the future and connect the number of enrolments to course completion and quality-based assessment. The current MOOC market was valued at USD 6845.4 million in 2020 and is expected to reach 18925.18 million by 2026, growing at an 18.13 percent CAGR (Mordor Intelligence, 2021). The majority of MOOCs learners go into the technology segments as per the Class Central such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber security, and data analytics. According to a Class Central report, over 10,000 students are enrolled in online degree programs offered by leading universities such as Georgia Tech and the University of Illinois, which have partnered with top MOOC providers such as Udacity, edX, and Coursera (Mordor Intelligence, 2021).