A MOOC is a massive open online course. MOOCs are usually free and open to anyone with an internet connection. They vary in length, but most last for a few weeks. Some MOOCs offer certificates of completion, but not all do.
MOOCs have become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to learn new skills or explore new subjects. Many colleges and universities now offer MOOCs as part of their regular curriculum.
The first known use of the term was in an October 2012 blog post by Dave Cormier. The acronym “MOOC” was originally coined by Stephen Downes and George Siemens in a 2012 paper entitled “MOOCs as Modeled Organizationally Open Learning Systems.” In this paper, the authors proposed using the term MOOC to describe these new online courses.