  This paper looks at the increasing popularity of massive open and online
courses (MOOCs) and open educational resources (OERs) offered in Singapore.
Despite being a relatively new phenomenon, the Singapore government has
collaborated with different organizations to improve the quality and
accessibility of MOOCs, and many institutions of higher learning (IHLs) are
spearheading efforts to improve OERs to facilitate greater public access to
educational resources. It will also explore the benefits and potential problems
that MOOCs and OERs face. For example, both MOOCs and OERs are able to lower
the costs of university-level education and increase public access to such
courses. They also provide skills and job training for members of the public as
well as encourage lifelong learning. However, both MOOCs and OERs may not be
sustainable in the long run, as the financial gains of both may not be able to
cover the costs of mounting them. Each system also has its own set of problems.
For example, formal structures to guarantee the quality of MOOCs offered remain
lacking. MOOCs also tend to have low completion rates and there have been
issues regarding plagiarism with the use of MOOCs as learning platforms. OERs
pose challenges to traditional copyright policies while lack of sustainable
funding prevents them from being adopted more widely. Even though both systems
may potentially transform the traditional education system, a deeper
understanding of MOOCs and OERs as well as their implications on learning will
be useful.
