MOOCs and the 2012 expansion
Open online courses existed before 2012. That year marks a documented expansion in platforms and institutional investment.
Before 2012
Stephen Downes’s contemporary October 2008 presentation describes CCK08, an open online course connected with the University of Manitoba. It provides a primary record of the movement before the later platform expansion. Open courseware, an enrolled online course and a MOOC are related but different: freely publishing a syllabus does not provide an enrolled course with assessment.
What happened in 2012
MIT’s first MITx course began on March 5, 2012. MIT and Harvard announced edX on May 2. These announcements document scale and institutional commitment; the first MITx course was electronics, not psychology. Describing 2012 as the invention of online teaching would erase earlier work.
Separate the learning offer from the platform
The Yale psychology listing on Coursera describes a self-paced course. MIT OpenCourseWare publishes an archived course with materials for independent learners. OpenLearn offers a short introductory course. Their purposes, assessments and credentials differ. A public listing does not establish what a currently enrolled student can access without payment.
Using open courses within a taught course
Editorial planning questions: Which part supplies an explanation? Where will students practice? Who gives feedback? Which task shows independent learning? A video collection can supply useful explanations while your course supplies discussion and assessment. Check material age, accessibility, permission and account requirements before assigning it.