In many countries, both Western and non-Western, education about human rights is limited or non-existent and access to such education at an advanced level is typically limited by numerous barriers. In 2015-16, at the University of Wollongong, the author took part in an initiative designed to overcome these barriers, through creating an online, open access university subject about human rights. This article examines a case study of transformative human rights education in the online environment. "Introduction to Human Rights" was unique as one of the first efforts to make this level of education about human rights freely available online, and in its commitment to being fully open access. Some major challenges, including a number of unanticipated ones, impacted on the process of creating and running the subject. Despite its success, and positive feedback from students, the University did not support its continuation. Arguably, this outcome reflects some of the inherent tensions between the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and open education approaches, and those of the university-based higher education model. It also highlights both the opportunities and barriers associated with adopting a transformative human rights education methodology in an online educational space.