????就以商學院教育為例。幾十年來，企業家一直勸告專業人士尋找一位導師，在一所“需要經歷千錘百煉的學校”攻讀MBA學位。聽起來很誘人，但知識就是力量。如果你在創業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候選人能夠審視課程目錄，同時確定有助于填補自身知識漏洞的基礎課程和選修課程，如果他們能夠利用這種研究來構建一個學習計劃，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項目相同的時間，完成你的MBA學業。你幾乎無需花費任何代價，就可以在網上找到MBA課程要求的很多內容。

????甚至連即將離任的研究生入學管理委員會(Graduate Management Admission Council，GMAT考試主管機構)首席執行官大衛?威爾遜也認為，這一幕很有可能。“下一代的MBA學位可能不是一個學位，而是一組證書，”威爾遜說?！笆袌鰧Q定它的價值?！?/p>

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

????讓我們來看看優勢（除了不支付學費）。請直面現實：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位。通過MOOC完成MBA學位能夠向雇主顯示，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，完全可以獨當一面。MOOC課程的輟學率徘徊在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。頂尖商學院正在安排教學和科研明星（而不是兼職教授或助教）參與MOOC課程。在耶魯大學，諾貝爾經濟學獎得主羅伯特?希勒將在來年1月份負責一個關于金融市場的MOOC課程。與之類似，哥倫比亞大學教授，聯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月份開始的可持續發展MOOC課程。

????為什么呢？其一，最好的老師通常也是最具創新性、最富激情的老師。MOOC恰恰是教育的新前沿，來自世界各地的數千名學生通過這個平臺聚集在一起——往往超過教授在多年執教生涯中可能能夠接觸到的學生總數。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是一個向世界展現自己最好一面的途徑，是一個打造自身品牌，從而吸引學生的媒介。因此，這些學校正在不遺余力地確保自己的課程能夠取得預期的效果?？偠灾阍贛OOC上或許將接受比教室環境下品質更高的指導。這是相對于那些坐在實體課堂聽課的同學，你將獲得的另一個優勢。

????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.