ABSTRACT
The massive open online course (MOOC) movement continues to attract attention from futurists, popular media, and senior administrators concerned with the future of higher education. There have been numerous claims and counterclaims made about the promise and perils of MOOCs in today's new global higher education environment. This chapter describes the Open2Study platform and explains the rationale and strategic drivers behind the MOOC initiative at Massey University. Membership of Open2Study was seen as a way of helping Massey increase its capacity and capability for offering high-quality online courses throughout the world. The chapter reports a number of preliminary findings from the implementation and formal evaluation of the Massey experience, including participation data and different stakeholder perceptions. Massey's aforementioned rationale for joining the Open2Study initiative can be compared and contrasted with assorted reasons that other institutions detail in a recent study of MOOC expectations and reality.
