From what I've read, there's controversy surrounding the success of massive open online courses (MOOC). One reason for this is that most students don't finish what they sign up for.
In my opinion, the reason for this phenomenon is that we are conditioned since childhood to pursue education for the end rather than the mean. Completing high school awards us a high school diploma. Completing college awards us a college degree. Degrees earn us jobs, which lead to income. But if we can get past this type of thinking and pick up a book or watch a lecture because we love the learning process, MOOCs are an A+.
I am highly optimistic about MOOCs. They are highly affordable and accessible, and I believe they are effective. After working through Udacity's machine learning program and Coursera's machine learning course by Andrew Ng, I can say with confidence that my understanding for the subject has deepened as they both offer detailed lectures and challenging projects. To me, the key to learning effectively is to go as slowly as possible, really taking the time to understand the concepts.
I love supporting these MOOC platforms because improving the accessibility of education and bringing down the cost is a big step forward. I really hope to see these platforms develop and more universities contribute over the upcoming years.