I think you make a fair point on the content, but I think the idea that so many people are exposed to material in these courses is still pretty amazing. Even a 2% completion rate for 226,000 students still means 5,200 people getting exposed to new ideas in that 12-week span. Given the right context (eg courses that don’t claim to be all-encompassing, but serve as a gateway to further knowledge) I think it makes for an excellent starting point that might get people excited about pursuing further knowledge. I agree though, that these shouldn’t be used to supplant traditional courses, but they might make excellent stepping stones to even online-only smaller courses for the people who come out and truly want to learn more.