The sheer scale of numbers of students led to bold proclamations of education disruption and a sector on the verge of systemic change. However, from the perspective of 2015, these statements appear increasingly erroneous as moocs have proven to be simply an additional learning opportunity instead of a direct challenge to higher education itself. Many of the issues confronting early mooc development and offerings could have been reduced if greater consideration was given to research literature in learning sciences and technology enabled learning.