There are many studies about MOOCs in the media. Stephen Downes, who leads the Learning and Performance Support Systems program at the National Research Council, explores a different type of MOOC, known as the cMOOC. The cMOOC “is based on connection rather than content, looks more like an online community than a course, and doesn’t have a defined curriculum or formal assignments.” The free-form nature of the cMOOC means that students have to “manage their own time, find their own resources, and structure their own learning.” Downes explores what enables a person to learn effectively in a cMOOC and examines what type of learning design or technology is best suited to support learning in this community-based environment.