Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have continued to attract considerable media coverage as
governments and universities respond to the open and online education movement. Three years
after the MOOCs began its rise, it is clear that the HE institutions in the EU are gaining speed in this
movement.
This report on MOOCs intends to contribute to literature on MOOCs in Europe. Its specific aim is to
present data on the perception and objectives of European higher education institutions on MOOCs
and the main drivers behind the MOOC movement. In addition, the report makes a comparison with
similar studies conducted in the United States in 2013 and 2014 and to data produced by the
European University Association (EUA) between October and December 2013. The report made clear
that involvement is still increasing, but also that arguments to get involved differ from those in the
US.
The main source is a survey conducted by the project HOME - Higher education Online: MOOCs the
European way, partly funded by the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme. The
survey was conducted in October - December 2014. In total 67 institutions responded out of 22
European countries representing in total about 2.8 millions of students.