"Bootcamps" and "nanodegree" courses are fast gaining popularity among students as they look to avoid the heavy debt burden that usually accompanies a degree program.

Another development related to Moocs is the emergence of nanodegrees.

"Nanodegrees are at the other end of the scale from the traditional university degree," Professor Sharples said. "For a degree, you spend three years gaining all the skills you need from a broad area. Nanodegrees are focused on what skills you need to learn for a very specific task."

In a quickly shifting economic landscape, it is understandable that some parents and pundits are calling for streamlined learning to train people quickly. But gearing education only to meeting current economic conditions is a ticket to conformity — and also to economic and cultural mediocrity. We need intellectual cross training of the whole person — not nano-degrees in commercial codes and tactics (no matter how digital) sure soon to become obsolete.

Focusing on entry-level software skills, Udacity says its new "NanoDegree" will be offered online, involve less than a year of coursework, and cost about $200 per month. AT&T in turn will offer paid internships to some NanoDegree graduates.