The people who never look at the optional material would never stick with a cMOOC anyway. A standard xMOOC forum would include discussion of the cMOOC material, even without the facilitators sneaking it in. (And that reminds me that a lot of xMOOC students don’t use the forums at all, either.) The course material should be about communication, digital literacy, and other topics that would nudge every student closer to being a full fledged connected learner.

My first cMOOC was thoughtvectors.net. I saw the names Vannevar Bush, Engelbart, Nelson, and Kay, and got excited. But when I first realized it was a cMOOC, I was a little disappointed. But I stuck around. Now look at how messed up I am.