The tone is basically to me dark and sad
The first one is the correct way to use it, since it separates the parts of the sentence into fragments that can still be understood without changing the meaning of the entire sentence.
A MOOC is a massive open online courses. Believing the hype is something I cannot answer for you. It is an opinion, and it is yours to answer.
Robert Walton<span> is the captain of a ship traveling to the North Pole. </span>Walton<span> is searching for a Northern passage to the Pacific, and </span>his attitude<span> is one of determination. He is determined to accomplish "some great purpose."</span>
