This study examines six years of Google Analytics collected from a graduate-level, open-access online course with the purpose of understanding the characteristics of the online learners and their learning behaviors. By reporting key statistics regarding online students' demography, behavior and technology use, this study reveals an overall online learning pattern for the context of open higher education, and identifies several trending changes in students' online learning profiles and behaviors. In addition, this study demonstrates the useful features of Google Analytics and provides insights on how to use them for collecting, analyzing and displaying learning analytics. The study results are expected to enhance our understanding of online learning at a course level and inform the design and development of online courses and resources for higher education contexts.