A new study of free, online college courses says that growth fell short of early expectations, as well as a pattern among users: mostly college-educated, including a surprising number of teachers.
Just a few years ago, the Massive Open Online Course was expected to reinvent higher education. Millions of people were signing up to watch Web-based, video lectures from the world's great universities. Some were completing real assignments, earning certificates and forming virtual study groups — all for free.
Surely the traditional college degree would instantly collapse.
Today, much of that hype has subsided (though best-selling authors and newspaper columnists are still making the case that "the end of college" is nigh). And new research on 1.7 million MOOC participants offers a more nuanced view of just what these courses are and could become.