Practical application is an area I've always thought was sorely lacking. There's lots of places to learn the theory, but I still don't get it until I understand the applications. Then I start to get a fingertip feel (Fingerspitzengefuhl if you want to come from a certain view).
Whenever I see "Application is left as an exercise for the reader", I read that as "I don't actually understand the subject well enough to teach it fully".
To give you an idea of what he does that's missing in MOOCs, take a look at his video in which he migrates a database to a new server: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry4EYnCgIwc
Throughout the video he talks about why he chooses a particular method among the different approaches available, discusses their pros and cons, what are some of the issues you might encounter in the real world that you should consider. Even if the video is about migrating a database he goes through many other related topics like DNS, choosing the server hardware and OS. He also talks about his past experiences and observations throughout. It feels more engaging and you feel like an apprentice rather than a passive consumer.