1. A massive open online course (MOOC) is a free Web-based distance learning program that is designed for the participation of large numbers of geographically dispersed students. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/massively-open-online-course-MOOC
2. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are online courses designed for a large number of participants that can be accessed by anyone anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection. They are open to everyone without entry qualifications, and offer a complete course experience online for free. They are led by subject matter experts from higher education or industry and hosted by learning management systems or dedicated MOOC platforms. Two forms of MOOCs have emerged. In cMOOCs, learners are encouraged (though not required) to contribute actively via blog posts, tweets or other social media posts that are aggregated online by course organisers and shared with all participants via email or newsletters. The “c” stands for “connectivist” and the course approach is typically that learners pursue their own learning outcomes with a focus on community and connections. xMOOCs, on the other hand, resemble traditional courses and more traditional higher education teaching methods are used. Pre-recorded video lectures and scalable forms of assessment are provided to learners who can interact in pre-set forums in a single platform rather than creating and/or sharing distributed content on the Web outside the platform.

Organized and may or may not be guided by a formal curriculum. This type of education may be led by a qualified teacher or by a leader with more experience. Though it doesn’t result in a formal degree or diploma, non-formal education is highly enriching and builds an individual’s skills and capacities

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Open distance learning

Open Badges are verifiable, portable digital badges with embedded metadata about skills and achievements. They comply with the Open Badges Specification and are shareable across the web. Each Open Badgeis associated with an image and information about the badge, its recipient, the issuer, and any supporting evidence.

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The Backpack is a tool for earners to collect, share and display the badges they have been awarded. Earners can import badges into the Backpack and issuers can offer to push the badges they award to the Backpack.

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The Open Badges Infrastructure is a set of software tools and specifications to support badging systems. These tools define the structures used in Open Badges and facilitate creating, issuing and displaying them.

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Open Badges Specification describes a method for packaging information about accomplishments, embedding it into portable image files as digital badges, and establishing resources for its validation.

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Open education is a modern approach to a changing world, allowing everyone access to education and knowledge, giving teachers tools to make education effective and engaging for all students, providing students with more options, and ensuring that education is relevant and up to date.

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The term generally refers to activities that either enhance learning opportunities within formal education systems or broaden learning opportunities beyond formal education systems. While there is no agreed-upon, comprehensive definition of open learning, central focus is commonly placed on the "needs of the learner as perceived by the learner"

Forms of open learning are: online learning, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Open
Educational Resources (OER), work-based learning, self-directed learning, individual
learning pathways, continuing professional development