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During this last year, we have witnessed a huge tidal wave in the university world. Many people have been talking about MOOCs (Massive On-line Open Courses) as a potential revolution that has arrived from North America. MOOCs have the primary aim of changing the fixed dynamics of rigid university training models and the traditional organizational structures of universities. Those who are still unfamiliar with the term «MOOC», often enquire about this subject with a mixture of discretion and curiosity - receiving a plethora of replies that end up being of little help.
With doubt, though, higher education is metamorphosing into a global activity: the spreading of this technology is not only unstoppable, but also omnipotent and omnipresent during the entire process. Moreover, the socalled «technophobes» are becoming less and less hesitant as they adopt more defensive tactics, e.g. by claiming that there is a «false onsite presence». Indeed, this is their baton to defend traditional education.
However, these Massive Open Courses which have intentionally been designated the Anglo-Saxon acronym «MOOC» actually have very little in common. This is despite their apparent «free status» and their being called «massive» (massive referring to multitudes of globally connected people who are simultaneously studying online courses and who are dynamically interacting with each other).
Without doubt, there is a revolutionary process underway in conceiving the «here» and «now» of teaching, namely its «ubiquity» and «temporality - both concepts of which have now been completely reformulated. At the same time, though, teacher-student interactions, especially the relationships among students who collaboratively develop their own learning, are also linked to the seeking of...