Inside a MOOC: Coursera class offers peek into determination of student body - Mike Cassidy, Mercury News

With the class still in the early going I was about a week behind on my assignments, nearly flunking my first quiz and seriously contemplating dropping the class. So much for the old college try.But two things made me stick with it (at least up until now, with two more weeks to go) -- My Coursera class called "Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies" comes with a promise: If I can finish the course work and score at least 70 percent on my assignments, I'll receive a statement of accomplishment. I want that statement. But more important than that, were the classmates I've encountered. Yeah, classmates. I've got a few, like 85,000 by the instructor's count in week two of the course. Let's just say the lecture hall would have been a little crowded in pre-Internet days. No we don't gather together physically, but we are able to socialize, commiserate and help and encourage each other on a series of message boards. And it is from those message boards that I've found both my inspiration to press on and a spirit that points to the powerful potential these new courses have. http://www.mercurynews.com/mike-cassidy/ci_22696060/cassidy-coursera-class-offers-peek-into-determination-student