To demonstrate this phenomenon, the researchers designed a classic two-by-two experiment in which students imagined choosing courses for the following semester and were told them that the courses would (or would not) count towards their major so that it was an important (or unimportant) decision.

FORBES: Decision Quicksand

But overall, the announcement is the latest ramping up of higher education's MOOC experiment, which launched in earnest barely a year ago as a way to sample elite college courses.

WSJ: Higher ed systems in 10 states turn to Coursera