What is Open

MOOCs are a relatively recent phenomenon in the field of teaching and learning. Although MOOCS are essentially online learning and web based course materials, which have been with us for a good many years, MOOCs, present a new perspective because of the extremely large participant numbers that are possible. As such, MOOCs require us to rethink online learning approaches, and in all likelihood, necessitate a degree of innovation in online teaching. To promote innovative teaching to help adults learn via technology, especially in the context of MOOCs, the authors of this article have compared and contrasted two teaching models. In doing so, the authors indicate that traditional teaching via technology is guided by behaviorism. However, in order to help adults learn in the online environment, instructors should go beyond the traditional teaching model characterized by the use of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives and incorporate humanism, from which andragogy flows. The two models addressed in this article were derived from pedagogical and andragogical assumptions. Traditional or pedagogical principles were developed in as early as the 7th and 12th centuries whereas andragogical principles emerged in the early part of the 19th century in Europe. Both pedagogical principles and andragogical (innovative) principles have been used to guide online adult teaching and learning since universities began to deliver courses in the virtual environments at the beginning of the 21st century.