[nlh]

Slightly off topic - sorry.

Whoever coined the acronym MOOC is clearly not from the NYC area or has not heard the term "mook", which is all I see when I read this article.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mook

This is an acronym that should be killed quickly.

Maybe something like MMOE (Massive Multiuser Online Education)? Or MOOE (Massive Open Online Education) or OEOE (Open Enrollment Online Education)....

[intellegacy]

This is the first time I have heard any complaints about the acronym. Not that I particularly like it myself, but I don't think it's a big deal. The world does not revolve around NYC.

[seiji]

Fun fact: the ubiquitous term STEM started out as SMET. Nobody liked saying "SMET" though, so they changed it to a real word.

[Turing_Machine]

It's too late. :-) There's actually a long history of this sort of thing in the tech world (consider Unix and its homonym).

Seriously, your alternatives aren't pronounceable words, and that's a major disadvantage.

[michaelochurch]

Mooks aren't so bad, but those Scalding Coffee Cups will fuck up your shit, especially because you have to fight them without Paula.