Good thoughtful read — as always — Seth. But I will challenge you on what I believe your point is. If a person is motivated to learn, they will be enrolled. Online learning does that. At LYNDA.com, we have seen great success in people who use our courses to learn because they want to. They take control of their destiny and they learn to transform their lives. We recently have added assessments to some courses because members have requested it — to test themselves. Not to prove to others that they ‘passed’ or should earn accolades. But to prove to themselves that they have retained the information.

The problem you speak of isn’t a symptom of online learning. It’s a symptom of society’s approach to education and the education system itself. Online learning is a game changer for self-motivated learners.

At LYNDA.com (now LinkedIn) — we have always seen ourselves as a way to augment the challenges in education — not disrupt it. We believe online learning — driven by self motivation — is truly transformational and that it works. It’s certainly proven that way to date.