Open and Distance Education/MOOC Learner and Learner Support for MOOC Learning

Introduction
Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs) now is a crucial mechanism for "millions of learners to access semi-formal learning opportunities". MOOCs have triggered the higher education institutions' interest, as well as the that of media which called 2012 the "year of MOOCs". MOOCs would initiate a revolution in educational field by solving many educational problems, especially reducing the educational gap between the most advantaged and the most disadvantaged learners. Currently, there are more than 700 institutions and universities which offer more than 6,850 MOOCs, and these numbers will increase undoubtedly in the future.

MOOC has two different categories: the connectivist MOOCs (cMOOC) which apply the concepts of connectivist learning; and content-based extended MOOCs (xMOOCs) which utilize a more traditional learning method combining video presentations short quizzes and another testing. In this chapter, all of the contents are available to xMOOCs. For giving any successful online education, it is better to for the MOOC providers to understand the nature of MOOC learners and their participation because MOOCs require the learners to self-motivate and self-direct their learning before they give proper learner supports. Around this problem, this chapter mainly introduced who are the MOOC learner and What are the learner supports.

Table of Contents
../MOOC Learner/

../Learner Support for MOOC Learning/

../Future Learner Support for MOOC Learning/

../Conclusion/