

MOOCs have not failed, Udacity is pivoting for no reason - shriya
https://medium.com/p/e4ea3fcc3325

======
memracom
There is a MOOC meme that needs to be squashed. Why are we evaluating any MOOC
based on the number of people who FAILED to complete a course. One person
makes 5 attempts at a course and finally passes. 4 FAILURES and one pass. To
my mind this is a fantastic success. Nobody would ever have the opportunity to
plug away 5 times at a course in university.

We should be celebrating the number of people who pass these courses and
always remember that the people who choose MOOCs are likely to be adults with
commitments and busy unpredictable lives. Sometimes circumstances overwhelm
them and they cannot complete a course. But with a MOOC, if at first you don't
succeed you can try, try again until you manage to get through.

------
PeterisP
I can see all kinds of reasons for Udacity to pivot. First, they have to earn
money somehow at some point, and that will require some pivoting; Second,
their current offering seemed a bit sub-par (IMHO - style over substance, fun
videos but in the end skirting the hard/important things I wanted from the
course) when compared to, say, Coursera. And changing that doesn't need 'more
quality', they already can do quality stuff, but it needs a clearer direction
on who and why the course is intended serve - ergo, the pivot.

~~~
neuroguy
The combination of the style of Udacity and content of coursera would be an
ideal combination. The idea of having tutors help through the tough material
on the subjects as a source of revenue is great.

