I live in Mongolia and I would love to attend to the classes of an expert professor in cancer and Genetics from an Anglo-Saxon university." "As a professor from the mainland I would like to know how another professor teaches his classes to improve the way I teach, but he belongs to a university in Singapore." "I study engineering in Germany and would love to take a subject on World War II taught by a professor from Seville." Until a few years ago, the above situations were part of a dream because economic, professional and family circumstances prevented them from being realized. But thanks to MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) it is now possible to attend to these classes online, without spending a euro, with just an email address and, yes, with a lot of perseverance on the part of student.

A MOOC is an online university subject open to anyone who wants to participate. The phenomenon began in American universities a few years ago and has spread to institutions in other countries.

We can distinguish two types of MOOCs. The simple and the complete. The simple MOOC consists of a subject of about five lessons, recorded in 15-30 minute videos, with a transcript of the teacher's words. A test on self-assessment allows to check if the main ideas have been understood, but does not offer interaction between learners. Access to this subject of subject is open all year round. Obviously the topic must be attractive either because of the content or because the teacher presents it well. An example: the subject of essay on the Internet by Professor Ramón Salaverria of the University of Navarra. When I took it, it seemed to me like a guide to climb an exceptional mountain peak through a beautiful and leafy beech forest. The five lessons of the MOOC showed me the best way to climb and from there contemplate an unbeatable view.

The complete MOOC must also offer attractive content and a professor that knows how to transmit passion for what it teaches. It can be accessed once or twice a year. It also offers short video lessons and a quiz on self-assessment at the end of each lesson, and students can interact with each other and with teachers. In addition, it includes interviews with experts from the institution or another, of no more than 30 minutes. It collects papers from conferences held at the university and related to the topic of the subject. Therefore, it is necessary for a department to collaborate in the implementation and follow-up of the chats for students' doubts and questions. An example of this subject is the MOOC on Corpus Linguistics, created by Professor Tony McEnery of Lancaster University, and carried out by a committed and competent team of teachers. Continuing with the simile of climbing a peak, in this case I was also going to walk through a beautiful beech forest, but this time I was accompanied at all times by a group of experts who showed me the best way, who explained the subject vegetation, the weather conditions, the class of land I was walking on, and I could also talk with others who accompanied me on the ascent. I could talk with other students who were following the same route. The group of experts, well led by an enthusiastic professor, guided us to the cima from where we could contemplate an unforgettable landscape.

The alma mater needs innovation to continue nurturing the society that welcomes it and MOOCs are an excellent means and part of the present and future of the university; but let us not forget that they cannot replace the irreplaceable face-to-face relationship between a professor and his students.