Udacity Update

[Saharapost]

I don't know what you mean.

I think MOOC's are cool, but at the end of the day someone has to cover the cost. Every school, public, private, for or not for profit, they all need to operate in the black. Who can afford to go through the relatively costly accreditation process and still offer viable programming, for credit, for free? Even "successful" experiments like Saylor are underwritten by actual cash.

I believe udacity offers these "free" courses as a loss leader to get "students" in the door. If memory serves they then recommend you to schools like Strayer where you can then fork over ridiculous amounts of money for a school of questionable quality...but it still comes down to the $$$$$

I agree that it cost $$$$$$ for MOOCs providers to continue operating, however, if the purpose of introducing MOOC, is to increase access to higher education, I think charging $150 per course per month is too much considering that- the ACE "certified" course may not be accepted by all schools and that most of those taking MOOCs seem to come from developing nations where they tend to lack the funding to take traditional online courses. I think charging $150 per class per month for a 2 credit course may not represent the picture that most people have about MOOCs...