The plural of anecdote is data.

Edit: I suppose I should post something useful here rather than just a snark reply to someone's snark reply. Anecdotes represent distinct points of data and, therefore, a bunch of anecdotes would then be a collection of data.

Yeah there is a difference when you actually pay for them, this is paid for. I've never completed a free one, but any online college course I've paid for you can bet I've completed spending several hours a week on and well over 16 hours or more leading up to mid-terms and finals.

if something is free, i bet many more people sign up to see what it's like. if it's not for them, they bail. a high percentage of dropout i would think is expected for something that's free. it's comparing apples and oranges...

Same here. I've learned a ton from the moocs I've signed up for and not completed.

I welcome high-quality MOOCs. I think competition will improve in-person offerings, especially at smaller colleges. I grow tired of getting low-quality students from my prerequisite courses. Sometimes I feel like removing the prerequisite requirements for some of my courses. The quality of some of them are so low.