Transitions in language MOOCs: International perspectives to redefine the field

Abstract

Language MOOCs (LMOOCs), defined as “dedicated Web-based online courses for second languages with unrestricted access and potentially unlimited participation” by (Barcena & Martín-Monje, 2014) have seen significant interest in the past two decades, as a practical means of online language education and a subject of research. As coordinators of the LMOOC Special Interest Group at EuroCALL, the authors of this paper identified that the nature of what is considered ‘an LMOOC’ was potentially changing, leading to a gap in understanding. We conducted a survey among 38 global LMOOC experts. Based on the findings, a new definition of LMOOCs is suggested, considering their value and nature of LMOOCs in diverse, international, educational contexts, and includes not only linguistic competence, but also other aspects such as culture, intercultural awareness, linguistics, and teacher education.