http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course Wikipedia

A massive open online course (MOOC; /muːk/) is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets, many MOOCs provide interactive user forums to support community interactions between students, professors, andteaching assistants (TAs). MOOCs are a recent development in distance education which was first introduced in 2008 and emerged as a popular mode of learning in 2012.