Background Over the course of a year, we developed and tested a 6-week massive open online course (MOOC) on multiple sclerosis (MS) in consultation with the MS community. The course targeted the MS community and interested laypeople and was titled Understanding MS. The primary purpose of the course was to improve MS knowledge, health literacy, and resilience among participants. The final version of the MOOC made available for open enrollment was ranked first among all MOOCs released in 2019 (n>2400) based on participant reviews. Objective The aim of this study was to present a detailed description and assessment of the development process of the Understanding MS MOOC. Methods The development process included a course development focus group; the creation of more than 50 content videos and related text, quizzes, activities, and discussion prompts; the creation of original images and animations; a pilot study; and collaborations with people living with MS, MS nurses, allied health care practitioners, and neurologists and researchers from 4 universities. Results Overall, the process was efficient and effective. With a few small changes, we recommend this approach to those seeking to develop a similar course. This process led to the development of a highly reviewed MOOC with excellent user satisfaction. Conclusions We identified 5 key lessons from this process: (1) community support is essential, (2) stakeholder involvement improves content quality, (3) plan for research from the beginning, (4) coordination between the academic lead and project manager team ensures a consistent voice, and (5) a network of collaborators is a key resource.

BACKGROUND Over the course of a year, we have developed and tested a six-week massive open online course (MOOC) about multiple sclerosis (MS) in consultation with the MS community. The course is aimed at a general audience and is entitled “Understanding MS”. OBJECTIVE Here we present an evaluation of the development process that we used. METHODS The development process included a course development focus group, the creation of more than fifty content videos and related text, quizzes, activities and discussion prompts, the creation of original images and animations, a pilot study, and collaborations with people living with MS, MS nurses, allied health care practitioners, as well as neurologists and researchers from four universities. RESULTS The first open enrolment of the course had a 51% completion rate, with 1,934 participants completing the course. It was well received by participants, with 97% satisfied or very satisfied with the course overall. As of this writing, it is ranked second among all science and health MOOCs, based on participant reviews. CONCLUSIONS With a few small changes, we would recommend our process to anyone seeking to develop a similar course. CLINICALTRIAL N/A