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University is not about learning. Learning tends to be a means to an end to most people who attend. The end being networking and a diploma. People cheat all the time to get ahead in University, this is antithetical to learning. MOOCs are great learning tools. However, they generally don't provide you with networking or a diploma. You can cheat doing an online, not-for-credit course, but that undermines the only benefit you get from it. I personally think that they are great, because I can afford to value learning more than certification. However, if what you are looking for is a way to prove you're an ideal employee, I don't know if they can ever take the place of the social benefits of a flesh-based university. I think that the discrepancy comes from the idea that University student's goal is to learn, and a University's goal is to teach. It's not. A student's goal is to get a degree and meet smart people (while learning). A University's goal is to make relationships with smart and influential people and secure funding (while teaching). The quality of teaching is a measure of prestige which attracts the smart and influential people: The cost of tuition is a filter to try and discourage any but the wealthiest (this more influential) students. The existence of scholarships are to make exceptions for the smartest students. If you want to simply learn a subject, you have a lot of opportunities outside of a University degree structure. Auditing courses, Online courses, Self-study, work experience, non-university teaching, etc. But if you were to ask a typical university student if they would give up the possibility of earning a bachelor's degree, however they could go to school and not pay tuition but not be allowed to use University facilities outside of attending lectures, I'd wager most would turn you down. |