"Two main factors influence how we might assess the quality of a massive open online course (MOOC): purpose and perspective. By purpose we mean the reason(s) the MOOC has been developed and facilitated. By perspective we mean who is measuring the quality. These two factors are intrinsically linked. From a university perspective, investing in setting up and running a MOOC in, for example, Clinical Trials, may be a worthwhile investment if it serves the purpose of extending global reputation. But for a learner, the purpose of participating in the MOOC could be to network with other students. The university may measure quality by monitoring the scale and reach of the students — so, if the MOOC has over 25,000 participants from 46 countries, it could be viewed as high quality. However, learners may find it difficult to connect with other students on the MOOC platform. For this reason, the MOOC will appear low quality to them. This link between purpose and perspective makes the measurement of quality challenging. The present Guidelines for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of MOOCs have been developed to guide the selection of quality metrics by four stakeholder groups: governments, accreditation bodies, institutions and learners. There are two stages for using the guidelines. The first stage involves identifying the purpose(s) of the MOOC from the stakeholders’ perspectives. In the second stage, stakeholders are encouraged to reflect on the metrics that will determine whether that purpose has been achieved. A range of quality metrics, associated with different stages of learning (before, during or after MOOC creation and participation), is provided in Appendix 1. Each of the stakeholder groups is likely to be interested in different stages of the learning process and different measures." (p.4-5)