I was unaware that Oxford offered such a range of online courses https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/search#/courses?s=&format=3&sort=availability
Degrees offered included the DPhil also but in "mixed mode". "Increasing numbers of courses are delivered in mixed mode, combining intensive residential periods in Oxford with tutored online study." cf: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/msc-in-evidence-based-health-care About £33,885. . A lot of money in MHO. The purely online COURSES are reasonably priced. eg: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/history-of-medicine-online?code=O16P417HIV EU Fee: £130.00 Non-EU Fee: £155.00 Coursea is cheaper AND they will waive fees if one pleads financial hardship.
That's commendable -great news. But there are two different models at work here, as I see it. (1) The Coursera courses are mostly translatable into academic credit. People can take them towards a degree or a skill. Hopefully, that will improve their circumstances - if they have need of such. (2) Most of the inexpensive Oxford courses do not carry academic credit.People take them for interest. OK to put your own money into those, as long as you can afford it. If you can't - put them on hold until you can. I'm OK with people in limited circumstances being granted free access to courses that can directly improve their qualifications and earnings - e.g. Coursera. Not so sure about other stuff. Nobody should get everything for free - even here in Canada, where freebies abound like nowhere else. J.