36 | SPECIAL REPORT: MOOCS | HIGHER EDUCATION
T HE MO OC MI N D S E T
As FutureLearn, the UK’s largest massive open online course (MOOC) provider, signs up its one millionth learner, Rebecca Paddick examines the growth of the company, and takes a look at how MOOCs measure up around the world
I
AB OV E : FutureL earn’ s CE O Simon
N elson says the comp any' s success has surp assed all exp ectations
first met FutureLearn’s CEO, Simon Nelson, a year ago at the company's HQ based at the British Library. Back then, Nelson explained
the MOOC provider's business model, its goals for the future and the success it had achieved so far. When I caught up with him most recently, the story of the company reaching its one millionth sign- up was just about to break – quite an achievement for a business launched less than two years ago. “The engagement satisfaction received from our
learners is beyond anything we could have hoped for at this stage. It really feels like we’re onto something,
it feels that people love the courses we’re puting out and they are coming back for more,” said Nelson. During our first chat back in 2014, Nelson
explained that the platform was still in the ‘BETA’ phase, as it was still developing important features. Although it’s now advanced from those early, experimental stages, Nelson is adamant that the platform will continue to evolve. “We came out of BETA a few months ago, but we regarded that as version one of the platform, because it will never stop developing. Every day we develop some part of it.
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