[codingblues]

I still doubt that online courses could be ever a replacement for that good old one on one classroom session... the discussions and interactions between good students and professors... I find there's no faster way to learn than when an expert explains something to you in person, you can ask questions there and then... clarify them and move on. In an online lecture if I get stuck... I'll have to pause, clarify my question searching on google(sometimes not easy), then get back to the rest of the lecture.

[danielharan]

Pitting online courses against one-on-one sessions with good professors is great if you have that privilege.

I'm currently in Nepal, where I have spent some time teaching kids QBasic, one on one, so they can pass their grade 10 school leaving exam.

You read that right: QBasic. The curriculum and pedagogy here is so ancient, most students would be vastly better off learning from Khan Academy than from their teachers. Lucky students get the hell out of the country rather than study at a university here. Those stuck here would be better served with MOOCs.

[rajshekhar]

It may not but its enabling people to learn new things. The most difficult part which i find if i want to learn things on my own is the direction. Its like when you are reading a book you can not just read different chapters from different places, you may go to other places for references. What online platform like Coursera provides is direction. P.S. Yeah i also doubt that it could ever be replacement for one on one classroom session.

[jacoblyles]

My thought is that a Ferrari is better than a Toyota. But a Toyota is about 90% as good as a Ferrari and it serves 1000x more people. And in some ways (safety, gas mileage) a Toyota does outperform a Ferrari.

[codingblues]

loved your analogy... but you see I use Toyota all the time... just that if I have a choice between a Toyota and a Ferrari, I'll go with Ferrari if I have the resources. Anyways I love Coursera, I am taking a lot of classes there. Remember a lot of quality of a course depends on how well the teacher conveys it whether its a lecture hall or an online course.

[simongiles]

From my experience with edX, online courses are the Ferrari in your analogy.

1. It is easier to concentrate on a video of a lecture. My friends aren't sitting next to me, the recorded audio projects the information clearly, and noisy neighbours are no longer an issue. The recorded video means everyone can "sit close" to the lecturer, and the ability to pause, rewind and rewatch lectures means I'm more likely swallow it in it's entirety.

2. The ability to participate from any location and at any time means I'm never late and never hungover.

3. Getting your questions answered via email means it can be read multiple times verbatim. Plus the professor is likely to give you a more in-depth response when he can answer in his own time.

4. My couch, lounge chair, and bath are more comfortable than the lecture hall chairs I've sat on in the past.

I feel it's more appropriate to liken online courses to the electric car. They are a more efficient use of resources, and we'll need them if humans are going to overcome the (frighteningly) vast array of current and future problems.

To all those involved, great job!