The emergence of Massive Open Online Courses in Medical Education

MOOCs are referred to Massive Open Online Courses that provide chances for expanding public access to education. The aim of this study is to discuss the concepts, types, application and emergence of MOOCs in medicine and medical education. This is an applied study that has been conducted through Literature Review method. Electronic journals and databases have been searched to obtain the required data. The emphasis in CMOOCs is on knowledge production, whereas XMOOCs’ main stress is on knowledge proliferation. Due to the adoption of modern technologies in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in developed countries, they have found it cost-effective to apply MOOCs in medical continuing education. MOOCs are also used in areas such as training medical students, promoting public health literacy, patient education, and teaching main health issues. MOOCs have shortly attracted a wide range of educators, students, businesses, media, and the public. Currently, many prominent universities offer their courses in MOOC format. In Future, MOOCs will likely be part of the landscape of higher education, especially medical education. So, it is suggested that higher education authorities provide the facilities and infrastructure for the establishment of MOOCs in the country.