What is the purpose of a MOOC? Is it to make training available, or to provide academic success? If it is the former, then it is definitely a success. If it

What is the purpose of a MOOC? Is it to make training available, or to provide academic success? If it is the former, then it is definitely a success. If it is the latter, then I think that not only percentage rates of success are important, but also the nominal completion rate itself. A MOOC supplies the opportunity for someone getting a degree in communications, business, or some other not-entirely-technical degree, that might be wonder what a computer science or high level mathematics course is like to go and find out. Does their failure in such a course mean that the class itself is a failure, or can the fact that they had access and were able to put a toe in the water mark success? I would suggest the latter.