Barbara Ann Oakley (née Grim, November 24, 1955) is an American professor of engineering at Oakland University and McMaster University whose online courses on learning are some of the most popular massive open online course (MOOC) classes in the world.

[1][2] She is involved in multiple areas of research, ranging from STEM education, to learning practices.

Oakley has authored op-ed articles about learning in The Wall Street Journal[5][6] and The New York Times.

[2] Oakley went on to serve as a signal officer in Germany for four years, achieving the rank of captain.

While she was studying for the degree, Oakley worked as a Russian translator on Soviet trawlers in the Bering Sea.

She also wrote a book about her experiences during this time, entitled Hair of the Dog: Tales from Aboard a Russian Trawler.

The course had its first three runs in August and October 2014 and January 2015, respectively, when it attracted approximately 300,000 students in total.