I think the idea is... at the moment there is this elite few people that actually have the entire skill-set of 'data scientist,' to one degree or another... but we need more of them. And the way to achieve this isn't to say, "Get a decade's experience across an enormous area of math, computer science, domain experience, and then come talk to me." The way to achieve this is to make data science seem more approachable than it is at the moment... in the hopes that it will be more approachable as we build courses like the one you critique.
This of course devalues your own skills, as you are one of the elite few. Unless you start writing textbooks. Which you should do, if you're one of the few. And self-promote like hell. If that course doesn't cover it - what does? Do you acknowledge that in a few years some shortcuts might be possible - that budding data scientists might not need to hae read every book that you have? I bet if you try, you can make your own shortcut in the form of a book.
This of course devalues your own skills, as you are one of the elite few. Unless you start writing textbooks. Which you should do, if you're one of the few. And self-promote like hell. If that course doesn't cover it - what does? Do you acknowledge that in a few years some shortcuts might be possible - that budding data scientists might not need to hae read every book that you have? I bet if you try, you can make your own shortcut in the form of a book.
Which is followed by a link to my own book on this topic, Agile Data: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920025054.do which attempts to demystify as much as teach.