As a high school student applying to college, a college student or a parent, you may have heard about a relatively new type of educational phenomenon called the MOOC. But what exactly is a MOOC, and what can it mean for students applying to and attending college?

MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course, and it is a new type of distance education being developed by colleges and universities to reach a broader range of students, both financially and geographically. These courses have been around since 2008, but did not really gain steam until start-up companies and big name universities jumped on board in 2011 and 2012. Most recently, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology joined up with Harvard University, Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley for a free online course experience known as edX.

Two key components remain consistent across these online courses. First, all of them are open to anyone; students need not be enrolled at the school offering the courses, or even at any college or university at the time. Second, each online experience is offered free of charge. Students who are financially strapped but want to develop new skills by any means are able to use these resources to the fullest. MOOCs also allow students to follow along at their own pace and schedule.

But what does this all mean for you? For now, the idea of for-credit MOOCs is just developing. Most, if not all, of these courses do not currently offer credit upon completion, but some schools are adding a learning-assessment test at the end of the course for students to take if they desire some form of course credit. Keep checking up with colleges of interest to see if its stance on MOOCs changes as the courses become more popular.

If you are a high school student applying to college, getting involved with a MOOC can help your chances. It is something great to put on your college application, to talk about in an interview, to build your skills and explore potential academic interests, to show admissions officers your desire to learn and to get an idea of what collegiate academics might be like. Very recently, schools such as the University of Miami have even been offering a MOOC for students preparing for SAT subject tests, such as a course on biology currently running this month.

Now that you know more about MOOCs, try them out for yourself! You will not be disappointed with what you learn, the skills you build and the connections you may make.

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