Massive open online education, also known as MOOCs, is a free education that universities and colleges can offer and that is open to the public. To mitigate the consequences of the effects of the Coronavirus on the labor market, the government has invested SEK 30 million in MOOCs in 2020.
Today, there is no structure for financing these courses, as they are not formal education. SFS sees that MOOCs have the potential to drive educational development forward, but it is not justified to take money from formal education to conduct such development work. Therefore, SFS believes that higher education institutions should not finance MOOCs through money from education grants. SFS is calling for a national strategy to create a consensus on how MOOCs should be developed and financed.
Read more about SFS's view on MOOCs in our consultation response to the national library strategy, as well as in SFS's position statement "SFS's view on the scope, supply, financing and admissions of higher education". Also read UKÄ's report on MOOCs. All reports are attached below.