Opportunities to Enhance Wide Knowledge Among Young Aspiring Minds Through MOOC

The Higher Education Institution (HEI) moves from the face to face and chalk and talk traditional method to the online learning method. Higher education in India has witnessed remarkable expansion in the last few years regarding access, equality, and inclusiveness. In recent years the focus is on quality, inculcation of wide knowledge and employability enhancement. India is the world’s second-largest market in terms of subscriber base, after the US, and amongst the fastest-growing markets for such digital platforms. Globally, more than 800 universities offer 9,400+ courses on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) digital platforms. MOOC offers creative and innovative modern approaches to the growth, distribution, and application of enhancing knowledge in teaching, learning, and research. The main aim of MOOC is that knowledge should be shared freely, any time access to material, self-learning, costeffectiveness, the interface among diverse learners, and the desire to study should be met without financial, economic, demographic, and geographical constraints. Seeing the importance of MOOC, the Government of India has also introduced an indigenous digital program named Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM), with the aim to serve a huge domain of learners and to fulfill the increasing needs of learners as well as the demands for economy and society. Based on the above importance of virtual/open online education, this empirical book chapter identifies the real opportunities to enhance wide knowledge among young aspiring minds through MOOC.

Keywords: Digital Learning Platforms, Economic, Educational Institutions, ELearning, Enhance Knowledge, Face-to-Face, Globalization, Higher Education Institutions, Internet, Knowledge, MHRD, MOOC, Online Education, Open Online course, Online Learning, SWAYAM, Virtual Learning.