就以商學(xué)院教育為例。幾十年來,，企業(yè)家一直勸告專業(yè)人士尋找一位導(dǎo)師,，在一所“需要經(jīng)歷千錘百煉的學(xué)校”攻讀MBA學(xué)位,。聽起來很誘人,，但知識就是力量,。如果你在創(chuàng)業(yè)時犯了那些相同的根本性錯誤，你就一定會付出慘重的代價,。所以請問自己這些問題：如果這些潛在的MBA候選人能夠?qū)徱曊n程目錄,，同時確定有助于填補自身知識漏洞的基礎(chǔ)課程和選修課程，如果他們能夠利用這種研究來構(gòu)建一個學(xué)習(xí)計劃,，從而像一個正常的課程體系那樣,，一步步地建立起自己的知識體系，如果他們能夠在類似課程時代和edX這樣的MOOC平臺上找到這些課程,，那將會怎么樣,？

    這是一個誘人的提議。試想一下,，如果你每8周參加兩個MOOC課程,，理論上你可以使用與完成傳統(tǒng)項目相同的時間，完成你的MBA學(xué)業(yè),。你幾乎無需花費任何代價,，就可以在網(wǎng)上找到MBA課程要求的很多內(nèi)容。

    甚至連即將離任的研究生入學(xué)管理委員會(Graduate Management Admission Council,，GMAT考試主管機構(gòu))首席執(zhí)行官大衛(wèi)?威爾遜也認為,，這一幕很有可能?！跋乱淮腗BA學(xué)位可能不是一個學(xué)位,，而是一組證書，”威爾遜說,?！笆袌鰧Q定它的價值?！?/p>

    你現(xiàn)在可以免費參加頂尖院校提供的基礎(chǔ)性MBA課程,。這還不包括幾十個其他領(lǐng)域的選修課程，比如金融,、市場營銷和可持續(xù)發(fā)展（在線免費的選修課其實要比一個昂貴的在職MBA項目傳授的內(nèi)容多得多）,。那么,，這是否值得考慮,？

    讓我們來看看優(yōu)勢（除了不支付學(xué)費）。請直面現(xiàn)實：一旦你進入職場,，并證明了自身價值,，沒有人在乎你是在哪里獲得的學(xué)位。通過MOOC完成MBA學(xué)位能夠向雇主顯示,，你是一位頗具自律性,、思維超前,、敢于率先嘗試新事物的人，你擁有值得信賴的自我控制力,，完全可以獨當(dāng)一面,。MOOC課程的輟學(xué)率徘徊在90％左右，而你竟然能夠善始善終,，這也充分證明你具備在艱難環(huán)境下生存的韌性,。

    請無視那些聲稱MOOC正在降低課程要求的古怪想法。頂尖商學(xué)院正在安排教學(xué)和科研明星（而不是兼職教授或助教）參與MOOC課程,。在耶魯大學(xué),，諾貝爾經(jīng)濟學(xué)獎得主羅伯特?希勒將在來年1月份負責(zé)一個關(guān)于金融市場的MOOC課程。與之類似,，哥倫比亞大學(xué)教授,，聯(lián)合國秘書長潘基文特別顧問杰弗里?薩克斯即將主持一個計劃于1月份開始的可持續(xù)發(fā)展MOOC課程。

    為什么呢,？其一,，最好的老師通常也是最具創(chuàng)新性、最富激情的老師,。MOOC恰恰是教育的新前沿,，來自世界各地的數(shù)千名學(xué)生通過這個平臺聚集在一起——往往超過教授在多年執(zhí)教生涯中可能能夠接觸到的學(xué)生總數(shù)。MOOC仍處于起步階段,，具有充分的增長空間,。一位有遠見的教授難道愿意放棄這樣一個躬逢其盛的機會么？更重要的是,，這些高校意識到,，MOOC是一個向世界展現(xiàn)自己最好一面的途徑，是一個打造自身品牌,，從而吸引學(xué)生的媒介,。因此，這些學(xué)校正在不遺余力地確保自己的課程能夠取得預(yù)期的效果,?？偠灾阍贛OOC上或許將接受比教室環(huán)境下品質(zhì)更高的指導(dǎo),。這是相對于那些坐在實體課堂聽課的同學(xué),，你將獲得的另一個優(yōu)勢。

    Take business school education. For decades, entrepreneurs have counseled professionals to find a mentor and earn your MBA in the "school of hard knocks." Sounds tempting, but knowledge is power. And it's very costly to make those same fundamental mistakes in launching a business. So ask yourself these questions: What if these would-be MBA candidates could review course catalogs and identify foundational courses and electives that would fill their knowledge gaps? What if they could use this research to construct a learning plan that would build their knowledge, step-by-step, like a normal curriculum? And what if they could locate these courses on MOOC platforms like Coursera and edX?

    It's a tempting proposition. Imagine taking two MOOCs every eight weeks. You could theoretically finish your MBA in the same time it takes to complete a traditional program. And you can find much of the content covered in an MBA curriculum online at little to no cost.

    Even David Wilson, the outgoing chief executive of the Graduate Management Admission Council, which administers the GMAT test, says it may well be possible. "The next MBA degree may not be a degree but a portfolio of certificates," says Wilson. "The market will determine the worth of it."

    You can now take the foundational MBA curriculum from leading institutions for free. And that doesn't count the dozens of elective courses available in areas like finance, marketing, and sustainability (far more electives, in fact, than would be available at an expensive executive MBA program). So is this worth considering?

    Let's take a look at the advantages (besides not paying tuition). Face it: No one cares where you earned a degree once you get your foot in the door and prove yourself. Completing your MBA requirements via MOOCs could show employers that you're a disciplined, forward-thinking first adopter who has the self-control to be trusted to work on your own. With MOOC drop-out rates hovering around 90%, your approach would also demonstrate that you possess the grit to survive difficult circumstances.

    And disregard that quaint notion that MOOCs are watered down curriculum. Leading institutions are using their teaching and research stars -- not adjuncts or TAs -- in their MOOCs. At Yale, Nobel Prize winner Robert Shiller will lead a MOOC on financial markets in February. Similarly, Columbia's Jeffrey Sachs, who moonlights as a special advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is holding a MOOC on sustainability beginning in January.

    Why? For one, the best teachers are usually the most innovative and passionate faculty members. And MOOCs are the new frontier in education. They bring together thousands of students from around the world -- more students than professors might reach in years of teaching. And MOOCs are still in their infancy with plenty of room for growth. Why wouldn't a forward-thinking professor not want to be part of such a trend? What's more, institutions realize that MOOCs are a way to show their best face to the world. They are a vehicle to build their brands and attract students. As a result, schools are taking extra pains to make sure these courses work. Bottom line: You will probably receive higher quality instruction on a MOOC than in a classroom environment. And that gives you another advantage over your brick-and-mortar peers.

    還有別的好處嗎,？有,。你可以在無需辭職、無需失去兩年的工作經(jīng)驗,、無需支付高達六位數(shù)學(xué)費的情況下,，獲得所有這些好處,。事實上，你甚至沒必要死磕GMAT考試,，聘請一位MBA入學(xué)顧問,，也不必膽戰(zhàn)心驚地計算被排名前10的商學(xué)院錄取的幾率。

    當(dāng)然,，參加MOOC課程也有缺點,。你將沒有機會炫耀你的平均績點(GPA)。如果你的英語不夠好,，你就無法參與課程時代和edX提供的許多帶有外語字幕的課程,。盡管有留言板和交互式討論，但MOOC平臺依然缺乏那種有利于學(xué)習(xí)的面對面互動,，尤其是涉及到案例研究的時候,。在一個數(shù)百、甚至數(shù)千人的課堂上,，猶如滄海一粟的你或許得不到任何關(guān)注或支持,。僅僅一個人學(xué)習(xí)，這本身就是一件難事,。完成相關(guān)作業(yè)和測試需要足夠的驅(qū)動力,。由于沒有約束機制，你很容易失去興趣,，特別是當(dāng)免費課程意味著你沒有切身利益參與其中的時候,。此外，MOOC會讓你陷入任憑技術(shù)擺布的境地,。盡管教授們懷抱滿腔熱忱,，但他們依然在適應(yīng)錄影棚的上課環(huán)境。

    最重要的是,，MOOC無法提供商學(xué)院真正吸引人的東西：人際關(guān)系網(wǎng)絡(luò)和實習(xí)機會,。從理論上講，MOOC可以給你一些工具,，趕超那些人脈更深厚的同學(xué),。但說句老實話，他們的實習(xí)機會和校友網(wǎng)絡(luò)將為他們提供一個極好的開端（即使你不斷努力,，也恐怕望塵莫及）,。此外，無論公平與否,，學(xué)位依然很重要,。如果你沒有獲得一家知名教育品牌的認證,，很少有雇主相信你已經(jīng)掌握了先進的課程,。

    那么,，你究竟應(yīng)不應(yīng)該冒險嘗試一下呢？這取決于你自己,。但請參考下面這則消息：2014年,，哈佛大學(xué)將加入沃頓商學(xué)院的行列，準備在線提供基礎(chǔ)性MBA課程,。有鑒于此,，頂尖商學(xué)院之間的MOOC軍備競賽預(yù)計將隆重上演。

    盡管如此,，還是需要提醒你一下：MOOC不會永遠免費,。沒錯，頂尖商學(xué)院正在給予學(xué)生機會,，領(lǐng)略自己課程的風(fēng)采,，以打造學(xué)校的自身品牌。最終,，它們需要把各自的開源理想與收入流聯(lián)系在一起,。否則的話，MOOC有可能破壞和蠶食它們現(xiàn)有的業(yè)務(wù),。

    就像媒體在近20年前所做的那樣,，通過免費奉送內(nèi)容，教育工作者已經(jīng)打開了潘多拉魔盒,?？蛻糸_始期待免費的內(nèi)容。它導(dǎo)致這一市場進一步整合和分化,。10年后,，學(xué)者們或許會把目前視為MOOC的鼎盛時期。為了延續(xù)這種模式,，教育工作者最終將需要為內(nèi)容收費,，減少課程的訪問時間或質(zhì)量。

    所以,，如果你打算參加MOOC課程,，事不宜遲，現(xiàn)在就報名吧,。付費墻和種種限制估計很快就要來了,。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

    譯者：葉寒    

    Another benefit? You can enjoy all of these benefits without quitting your job, losing two years of work experience, and shelling out six figures for tuition. In fact, you won't even need to study for your GMAT, pony up for an MBA admissions consultant, or face those daunting odds of getting into a top 10 business school.

    To be sure, there are drawbacks. You won't be able to flaunt your GPA. If you struggle with English, you won't find many courses with foreign language subtitles on Coursera or edX. Despite message boards and interactive discussions, MOOCs still lack that face-to-face give-and-take that facilitates learning, particularly when case studies are involved. In a class of hundreds (or thousands), you'll probably receive little personal attention or support. And just being on your own is difficult. It takes significant drive to complete assignments and tests. Without structure, it is easy to lose interest, particularly when free classes mean you have no skin in the game. What's more, MOOCs put you at the mercy of technology. And, despite their earnest efforts, professors are still adapting to teaching out of a studio.

    Most important, MOOCs can't deliver the real draws of business school: The network and internship. Theoretically, MOOCs can give you the tools to run circles around your more pedigreed peers. But their internship opportunities and alumni network will give them a huge head start (even if you keep working). Fair or not, degrees matter. Without certification from a renowned educational brand, few employers will trust that you've mastered advanced coursework.

    So should you take the plunge? That's up to you. But consider this: In 2014, Harvard will join Wharton in making foundational MBA courses available online. With that, you can expect a MOOC arms race among the top business schools.

    That said, here's a word of warning: MOOCs won't stay free forever. Sure, top institutions are building their brands by giving students a taste of their content. Eventually, they'll need to tie their open source ideals to a revenue stream. Otherwise, MOOCs could potentially disrupt and cannibalize their existing businesses.

    By giving content away for free, educators have opened the same Pandora's Box that media outlets did nearly 20 years ago. Customers began to expect free content. And it resulted in a consolidation and decentralization of that market. A decade from now, academics may view the present as the heyday of MOOCs. To continue this model, educators will eventually need to charge for the content or reduce access or quality.

    So if you're going to enroll in a MOOC, do it now. Paywalls and restrictions are soon to come.