Free platforms for providing MOOCs: mapping and assessment requirements

Abstract

For the storage, management and delivery of MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses), it is necessary a technological infrastructure that supports. Several educational institutions do not have, or do not wish, to invest in this structure, because MOOCs still not part of official universities programs and yes initiatives of a particular teacher or research group. From this problem, this paper aims to identify platforms that offer the possibility to create, host and provide free courses for the offering, and identify in the literature requirements that provide a basis for their assessment. For identifying the platforms, we sought to scientific articles, on sites that deal with the comparison of platforms and listing the existing MOOCs providers. For the definition of the assessment requirements, we search in the databases Web of Science and Scopus by the term Massive Open Online Course and, after applying some filters were selected for analysis, 62 works dealing platforms and technology. As a result we have the identification of six platforms (Open Learning, CourseSites, P2PU, Versal, Udemy and Eliademy) that make it possible to offer free courses. And 14 requirements for their evaluation, they are: accreditation, accessibility, usability, security of information, copyright costs and rights policies, interaction and collaboration tools, releases submission tool, content management tools, activity tool, course schedule management, participants management tools, gamification tools, connection with social networks, visibility / dissemination of the course. Finally, there is the importance of selecting a platform that is more suitable for the structure and method chosen to deliver courses in MOOC format.