I agree with you about the exceptional quality of that course. I did not take the other two earliest large online courses, but I have taken few dozen since then. Compared to MOOCs at different schools, I found her teaching style more similar to those offered by instructors at MIT than those offered by instructors at Stanford.
I think your description is right, too. Methodical and easily manageable without a loss in rigor.
Most people who struggle to learn to code don't do well with expected lightbulb moments, but I've seen the same people do wonderfully when presented with methodical steps as building a trunk they can branch off of.
I think your description is right, too. Methodical and easily manageable without a loss in rigor.