I'm not really getting the full MOOC experience because I'm only watching the lectures--not doing quizzes, participating in forums, etc. But some quick thoughts on the video watching experience so far:
- The lecture experience is about as good as sitting in the front row of a large introductory class and better than sitting in the back row (which is where I usually sat in my big intro courses).
- The big advantage is that I can watch the videos whenever I want (I watch on the treadmill), and I can pause/rewind etc. as needed.
- Disadvantage is that I can't (yet) watch it with others. Would be nice to be able to watch the lectures with some friends. I think people should be able to meet up online to watch the videos together. They should be able to pause the common video, message each other, etc. Kinda like a google hangout version of a class. It's nice to have fellow students.
- Coursera's video technology, at least on my iPad, is not as good as YouTube, Netflix, etc. Doesn't show how far the video has played, can't full-screen easily, doesn't remember where it left off, no 10-second-replay button etc. I'm sure these are all easy fixes and will be resolved eventually.
- If I'm charged $10 to watch the rest of the lectures, I'll pay. Maybe that's how they can make money?