This is legitimately a big deal. They have big industry partners like Google, Cloudera and at&t and a very highly respected university in Georgia Tech. If any of them show real signs of taking Udacity qualifications seriously MOOCs will be well on their way to going mainstream.<p>The next step will be cram camps with lots of students in one place to provide a collegiate atmosphere, for some, particularly if some of the courses go always open enrolment. An immersive environment like Hacker School or AppReactor can teach a lot if people are committed and surrounded by people who are.