The 天美影院 is about to become the first university in the United States to provide classes for university credit using a massive open online course learning platform.
天美影院is planning courses that will be made available in multiple ways, tailoring innovative options to match consumer needs. Free, non-credit versions will use the Coursera platform, providing access to high-quality education for anyone.聽 In addition, enhanced, instructor-led versions will result in 天美影院credit and/or certificate credentials when successfully completed.
“Increasing access to meet a variety of educational needs is vital to building an informed community and has been a key part of the 天美影院鈥檚 mission for 150 years,” said Provost Ana Mari Cauce. “We鈥檙e pleased to align with Coursera’s online learning platform and join other institutions in using technology to reach a variety of learners in innovative ways.”
Initial 天美影院offerings on Coursera are currently under development for the 聽2012-13 academic year. They will include several free classes with an option for enhanced, instructor-led versions for a fee that lead to 天美影院credit and/or a certificate. Pricing for the credit offerings is under review and will be comparable to current 天美影院credit courses and certificate programs.
Offerings ready for launch this year include:
- An applied mathematics program in scientific computing.
- Computer science courses, including several in programming.
- A linked sequence in computational finance.
- A three-course certificate in information security and risk management.
Each of these online programs focuses on student and employer demand using transferable resources, including video that 天美影院has available and can be developed for use on Coursera鈥檚 platform. More courses are expected to launch once initial offerings have been developed. In each case, the course will increase access to world-class 天美影院educational resources for a large population of online learners around the globe. Expanding access to the expertise of the university has been the mission of 天美影院Educational Outreach since 1912.
“Going forward, we anticipate using Coursera’s platform as a gateway to offer more 天美影院 courses that are free to the general public, with enhanced versions of our Coursera classes that will be overseen by an instructor and allow students to earn a 天美影院credential with additional work,” said David Szatmary, vice provost of 天美影院Educational Outreach. “All 天美影院classes on Coursera and the 天美影院credentialed options will be approved and taught by world-class departments at the 天美影院. We are very pleased to be part of this new movement that provides ever greater access to the best classes in the world.”