Education From Corporations-Is This A Good Idea?

gizmoguy4242 asks: "notHarvard.com is pioneering a new business model by offering free educational courses in an effort to 'attract new customers, reduce customer acquisition costs, keep them on-site longer, and drive revenue.' As an example, Metrowerks set up a site called 'codewarrioru.com' where participants can 'learn how to program in C++' and gain other valuable skills. 'The university site is driving revenue by giving users a context in which they can both learn about the product and make purchases when appropriate.' Obviously, the notion of free, quality education is attractive, especially in a 'do-it-on-your-own-time' medium. On the other hand, the privatization of education raises all sorts of philosophical questions: can corporations -- whose fundamental interest is economic -- maintain academic neutrality when doing so negatively impacts them? Can they be trusted to present educational ideas from an objective standpoint, or is this the precursor to corporate-driven thought control?"