Harvard and M.I.T. just can’t stay out of the free online course game

All Things Considered “Explosion In Free Online Classes May Change Course Of Higher Education”

What I think is very interesting about these stories, which are more and more prevalent, is their emphasis on the economic rationales for “getting into the online education business”. But what it seems to me that these elite universities are really competing for with the introduction of these courses is influence: by offering these free online courses, marquee universities boost their cultural influence. After all, isn’t cultural influence what most educational institutions are trying to maximize?