Tag Archives | Sebastian Thrun

Pilot Program Forces Discussion of Online Learning, MOOCs, Student Retention, and the Future of Higher Education

By on January 18, 2013 in Business of Education, Online Education, Student Persistence, Student Retention, Technology, Trends in Higher Education

Earlier this week, the California State University System (CSU) announced an online pilot program with Udacity, a for-profit provider of MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses).  Udacity will provide a remedial algebra course, a college level algebra course, and a statistics course as part of the pilot that will initially be limited to 300 students at San Jose State University and several local community colleges.  The cost of each course will be $150.  Udacity will provide mentors to the students to answer their questions and encourage them to complete the assignments and stay enrolled in class. … Read the rest

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Alternative Certification – A Good Idea?

By on January 25, 2012 in Access and Affordability, Business of Education, Cost of a Degree, Economy, Online Education, Trends in Higher Education

I have read three articles in the last three days about alternatives to earning a college degree, primarily through certification of one kind or another.

The first article, from The Chronicle of Higher Education, discusses the concept of “badges” that are awarded by various websites, training companies, individuals, etc. The concept is that the badge is relatively easy to earn (to keep the learner motivated and engaged) and indicates that they have achieved a certain skill level or learning competency. … Read the rest

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