The New York Times, on the other hand, came to the idea of paid content belatedly and has been struggling to make its business model work.

FORBES: Merriam-Webster Tries To Climb The Freemium Wall

Because Coursera does not produce its own content or administer degree courses, "you have to work within the framework of the institutions that are actually good at that, " she said.

WSJ: Higher ed systems in 10 states turn to Coursera