Eureka! Institutional Repository

Massive Online Courses (MOOCs) is a rapidly developing phenomenon, which offers free, online distance learning of tertiary level. This innovative type of education has caused many reactions in the field of academia, causing an ongoing flow of research. The objective of the present thesis is to study the structure of the university system including MOOCS and how its structure can influence its behavior in time. The research methodology of the thesis is twofold: Literature Review and qualitative System Dynamics. The literature review demonstrated that the presence and development of MOOCs has both advantages and disadvantages and there different types of influence to and from the traditional university systems. Σhe second part of the research consisted of the development of Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs), using elements from the literature review, enriched with four interviews from people (two university professors and two MOOCs’ students) within and around academia. The different CLDs were analyzed and compared and interesting results emerged. First, the variables of demand and fame of MOOCs appeared as basic elements of the system. Furthermore, the status of the university/organization that offers the MOOCs along with the professor responsible are of great importance for both the professors that were interviews. On the other hand, the communication between students and professors and among the students themselves appeared as the most important element of MOOCs for the students that were interviewed along with the options of whether the MOOCs are offered for free or not and whether they are self-paced or not. In conclusion, the initial CLD that was developed with the distillation of variables from the literature seems to be more inclusive and general, since it contains almost all of the variables that were used in the four CLDs of the interviewees, although with different causalities. The contribution of this thesis is the mapping of all these different perceptions regarding MOOCs and the system of tertiary education. Finally, it should be noted that the results agree with the general consensus that MOOCs should continue to be studied with focus on different aspects, such as the mechanisms to certify the university that offers them, and with different methodologies in order to design policies that will be robust.