> I think Coursera and EdX can do much better at using their design and content marketing talent to make these classes more accessible and successful.

There's an interesting balance here. Professors I've talked to bemoan the lack of 'support' from Coursera (usually the universities provide a pot of money for profs to use themselves). But at the same time they would balk at some marketing guru coming in an 'spinning' their course. Profs are used to large amounts of freedom in their courses and aren't used to incorporating feedback from the outside into their plans.

It's a tough line to walk I think: freedom vs accessibility.