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Big News For Online Ed

How about going to Harvard for free? Or MIT? A joint Harvard-MIT venture announced today may soon make free online classes from those schools available worldwide through a new non-profit organization called edX.

We’ve been keeping a close eye on digital learning, including this recent look at the rise of online high schools, and YouTube phenom Salman Kahn. We’ve also flipped through the latest digital textbooks that might be coming to a classroom near you.

The digital classroom may not replace the brick and mortar Ivy League anytime soon, but it is part of a major online push by colleges. Earlier this month, Stanford, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan announced their own partnership for online teaching with a company called Coursea.

Last summer, we talked with Google’s Peter Norvig, who with Stanford University professor Sebastian Thrun, taught a course on artificial intelligence that attracted 58,000 students worldwide. This year, Thrun quit his tenured job and launched Udacity, to offer more such courses.

 
  • burroak

    As the world goes digital, why not colleges, universities. It is not the reality of traditional learning; however it is an idea whose time has come. With the multilayers of entreprenurial creativity at colleges, I am sure they will develope platforms for the many citizens who cannot afford to attend courses but would surely appreciate the opportunity that this new venture offers.

  • Hidan

    nice

  • CG

    Great post!
     

  • Hidan

    The guy that works on my computer is going to try a few course this year before he actually pays, If anyone is interesting you can type in on youtube the name of a course you want to hear and than put ;playlist and you can find a list of lectures by professors from some of the top schools and can further research to see who you like before watching them. TED has also made it easier to watch some of the stuff TED host. TED has also created spots in different states where one can go and watch them live without paying the 5k plus fees.

    Thanks again Onpoint for posting this and I hope many are able to use such .

ONPOINT
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