A U.K.-based platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs) to rival established providers in the U.S. has been launched by the Open University. Futurelearn will carry courses from 12 U.K. institutions–including the University of London and the University of Leeds–that will be available to students worldwide free of charge. This follows in the footsteps of U.S. providers such as Coursera, edX, and Udacity, which offer approximately 230 MOOCs from about 40 mostly U.S.-based institutions to more than 3 million students.