I think its just difficult for people to hold themselves accountable. in standard colleges, you have other students, teachers, grades, etc which creates a social pressure for you to continue your progress.

with a MOOC, there doesnt really exist the same social pressure to continue or excel.

Its been interesting to watch how various MOOCs have tried to recreate these pressures (due dates, courses separated into weeks, peer review assignments, teacher 'office hours' etc.) and while i think they've gotten a lot better than at the beginning, im not sure they will be able to fully replicate the pressures of having real people in the classroom with you, who will notice if you are gone for a week

Which free courses do you recommend?