What some call a revolution for the university today has been underway for a good number of years now, but only recently has the term ‘MOOC’ (massive open online course) entered the English language. Leading universities are increasingly making lectures available online, and some observers believe traditional universities will move more and more towards an ‘open’ model. There is even speculation that established disciplines will fragment as students are able to pick and mix degrees from a global menu, and critics worry about the potential effects of students spending less time with lecturers and fellow students. So is there a danger that students will read fewer ‘real’ books or is that just a Luddite prejudice? How will universities address concerns over the quality of online courses? And what does the rise of the MOOC mean for the job security of academics – for lecturers who don’t manage to ‘go viral’? In short, does the technical revolution open up a future in which everyone can have access to the very best in education, or might it accelerate a process of knowledge fragmentation and the modularisation of understanding?