ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book sketches out the brief history of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and explores the promise that MOOCs presented and the disruptive challenge they offered to universities and university education. The first 'official' MOOC came from the University of Manitoba in 2009, however, a more commonly cited starting point for this type of online presence is 2011 and, more specifically, Sebastian Thrun's Artificial Intelligence MOOC and Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng's course on Machine Learning. The book explores how universities are using MOOCs to engage with both global and local learners to provide 'their own voice and agendas'. The book works through the process of the development of the Disability and a Good Life MOOC series at the University of New South Wales in 2016. The book provides a reflection on disability and accessibility in higher education in the MOOC context.