Jonathan Haber on Degree of Freedom, “xMOOC vs. cMOOC”:

The experience I just described made me realize that I like to be taught by a “sage-on-the-stage,” or, more particularly, by someone with way more expertise on the subject than I and my fellow students have who is also skilled and experienced at transferring this knowledge to others. In no way does this mean that xMOOCs are inherently superior to cMOOCs on the same subject. But it does mean that different options may be needed to meet the needs of people with widely varying strengths, weaknesses and preferences that make up their learning styles.

This is an interesting observation, given how much sage-on-the-stage gets blasted. As much as I kind of dislike xMOOCs, that model can be preferable to some people, so let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. The problem with xMOOCs has a lot more to do with marketing/hype, and the host of problems that comes along with that, than merely its format.