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Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Commentary on reports from last week that Coursera is planning to sell student information to companies as a recruiting tool. "If the company is interested in one of those students, then Coursera sends an e-mail to the student asking whether he or she would be interested in being introduced to that company. The company pays a flat fee to Coursera for each introduction." According to the post, Udacity is also marketing information in the same way. Personally, I think it's a really good business model, though I do understand the concern that this may drive courses to fit corporate training objectives, rather than wider social needs. But we should understand, it's an option, a piece of the puzzle, and not the whole thing. "Combine this with the Open Badges initiative and suddenly there are several alternative educational paths that may be just as likely to lead you to employment as the traditional road." Alternatives create opportunities, and opportunities create innovation.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 21, 2024 08:18 a.m.

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