All Things Considered: Educational Radio as the First MOOCs

Those who do not learn history, even educational technology history, are doomed to repeat it. Every windshield has a rear-view mirror: using historical trends can yield lessons and guidance as we navigate the future. Take for instance MOOCs and their relatively rapid rise to popularity and fame in practice, predictions, and scholarship. Existing literature on MOOCs generally does not predate 2008 in terms of historical foundations. However, this approach fails to look beyond the immediate past, assuming a brave new world in massive, open, distance learning which actually has existed for over a century. To address this shortsighted view, we present a brief history of educational radio, making the case for this medium as the first MOOCs and draw upon the literature around this medium to present a cautionary tale and lessons from which we might learn going forward.