Researchers at MIT recently published a study of an edX physics MOOC and found that students who had spent significant time on the course showed evidence of learning independent of their educational background. According to the researchers, “There was no evidence that cohorts with low initial ability learned less than the other cohorts.” Additionally, the MOOC students learned at a similar rate as MIT students who had taken the on-campus version of a similar course. That finding surprised the researchers because the on-campus MIT students studied together in small groups for four hours every week and had regular access to their professors and other campus resources.
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/the-mooc-where-everybody-learned/54571