Irvine, Sir James Colquhoun, (9 May 1877–12 June 1952), JP, DL County of Dundee; Principal and Vice-Chancellor University of St Andrews since 1921, formerly Professor of Science in the Univ.; Trustee Pilgrim Trust; Chm. Scottish Universities Entrance Board, 1920–44; Commissioner for 1851 Exhibition; Pres. Section B, British Assoc., 1922; For. Lecturer, Inst of Politics, Williamstown, Mass, 1926; Vanuxem Lecturer, Princeton, 1929; Woodward Lecturer, Yale, 1931; Chairman Adult Education Committee for Scotland, 1927–29; Chairman Forest-Products Research Board, 1927–39; Member Prime Minister’s Committee on Training of Biologists, 1931; Chairman The Viceroy’s Committee on the Indian Institute of Science, 1936; Member of Commission on Higher Education in the Colonies, 1943; Chairman Committee on Higher Education in the West Indies, 1944; Chairman Inter-University Council on Higher Education in the Colonies, 1946–51; Chm. Advisory Council Scottish Education Department, 1925–31

PurposeThis study was inspired by the emergence of Massive Open Online Courses (henceforth MOOCs) as an e-learning trend of recent times, attracting huge enrollment across the globe. Studies revealed that MOOCs had been getting extensive attention by educational circles in India, but whether its acceptability is limited only among learning communities of country’s top-notch universities like Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), and among Central Universities; or it has attracted equally the learners of State Universities spreading across every nook and corner of this huge country is yet to be studied. These State Universities virtually uphold the country’s higher education sector by catering learning ambitions of largest number of students. The present study investigated the penetration of MOOCs among students and teachers of State Universities in India.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative survey was conducted taking 10 reputed State Universities and 480 respondents (400 were students, and 80 were teachers) as samples. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were also conducted among 25 respondent students and teachers. Descriptive statistics, such as frequency and percentages, as well as inferential statistics, such as Likert scale and analysis of variance, were employed in analyzing the study.FindingsThe findings revealed that MOOCs have been successful in meeting the learning goals of the learners and teachers of these State Universities complementing their traditional learning environment at universities and by providing them a constant scope for re-skill and up-skill; still, participation in MOOCs is low, especially among females due to lack of awareness, inadequate infrastructure, and resultant poor completion rate.Practical implicationsThe current study is going to be helpful to the Indian policy makers and all concerned in creating a healthy atmosphere for making MOOCs accessible to students and thereby leveraging its potential to increase the quality of higher education across country as it exhibits a clear picture of the current state of its penetration, problems and possibilities among teachers and students of State Universities that conforms the largest section of Indian intelligentsia. The findings can be used to compare perceptions of students' and teachers' from other developing countries also.Originality/valueThis study is the reporting of an original survey conducted in India and the write up is based on the analysis and findings of the survey results.

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