Rice University,
seeking to be a leader in tech-based learning that provides worldwide
access to higher education, has become a partner with a second online
education provider, edX.
Rice is one of six universities to join X University Consortium, or edX, as part of an international expansion announced on Wednesday. The institutions, which stretch from North America to Europe to Asia Pacific countries, are among the world's top universities.
EdX is a not-for-profit provider of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, which are generally free, noncredit courses open to anyone. Founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, edX launched its first courses last May.
"Our mission has been to offer the best courses by the best universities and best professors," said edX president Anant Agarwal. "In keeping with that, we're adding six great institutions. We're really excited about Rice coming aboard."
Last July, Rice joined Coursera, the first education platform to host content from multiple top research institutions at one website. An eight-week computer programming course drew more than 80,000 registered students, university officials said.
Coursera is a for-profit provider launched in fall 2011 by Stanford University science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Eng. Rice is offering three Coursera courses and developing two more.
"We're proud to be early members of both Coursera and edX," said Rice President David Leebron. "We see different strengths in the two strategies and platforms. Rice intends to be a significant participant in the online learning space, not only in providing the very best quality courses, but also in developing the best adaptive learning technologies."
Rice and the University of Toronto are the only universities to participate in both edX and Coursera.
No time, place limits
Caroline Levander, Rice's vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives, said the university wants to be a leader in providing teaching that is not constrained by time or place. For example, the use of technology, such as videos for lectures or online forums for discussions, enables students to learn outside the classroom, giving teachers the opportunity to use classroom time more efficiently. Educators call that asynchronous learning.
"Coursera and edX have different assumptions and differently capabilities, so we think having course material that utilizes both and understanding both platforms is more than the sum of the parts," Levander said.
Edx is building an open-source educational platform and a network of top universities to improve education online and on campus. It is also using data from the online courses to research how students learn.
Levander said Rice can be innovative in blending on-campus and edX online courses, generating key research information on student learning.
"We see that as a real opportunity," Levander said.
Rice has extensive experience in open-source education. About 14 years ago, Rice professor Richard Baraniuk launched Connexions, a open education resource platform, which allows people to publish, modify or use teaching and learning materials that are freely available online.
From Connexions, Baraniuk established OpenStax College, a nonprofit publishing entity that produces free textbooks for introductory courses. It published its first textbooks last year. Baraniuk is now developing OpenStax Tutor, which will provide supplemental instructional tools free or for a small fee.
Agarwal said edX looks forward to collaborating with Rice on OpenStax College. Baraniuk said a number of Coursera courses use OpenStax textbooks.
Faculty excited :
"The whole MOOC gives us a double-edged approach to education," Baraniuk said. "It improves education locally and globally."
Rice has agreed to develop at least four courses for edX and offer certificates of completion. A request for proposals from faculty went out on Friday, with proposals due by March 15.
Levander said the faculty is excited about the opportunity and professors already have contacted her with ideas.
The university has budgeted $20,000 for faculty stipends to develop and launch courses. The stipend would also cover teaching assistants, copyrights, technology and instructional design support.
Faculty will integrate asynchronous content into their courses next school year as a test. If successful, they will become credit courses for Rice students before being developed into noncredit online courses for everyone.
"I think it's quite transformational in ways that are positive for the students on campus and a larger learning public," Levander said. "Hopefully the world will get smarter and more informed."
Source : Chron ( 20th Feb 2013 )
Rice is one of six universities to join X University Consortium, or edX, as part of an international expansion announced on Wednesday. The institutions, which stretch from North America to Europe to Asia Pacific countries, are among the world's top universities.
EdX is a not-for-profit provider of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, which are generally free, noncredit courses open to anyone. Founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, edX launched its first courses last May.
"Our mission has been to offer the best courses by the best universities and best professors," said edX president Anant Agarwal. "In keeping with that, we're adding six great institutions. We're really excited about Rice coming aboard."
Last July, Rice joined Coursera, the first education platform to host content from multiple top research institutions at one website. An eight-week computer programming course drew more than 80,000 registered students, university officials said.
Coursera is a for-profit provider launched in fall 2011 by Stanford University science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Eng. Rice is offering three Coursera courses and developing two more.
"We're proud to be early members of both Coursera and edX," said Rice President David Leebron. "We see different strengths in the two strategies and platforms. Rice intends to be a significant participant in the online learning space, not only in providing the very best quality courses, but also in developing the best adaptive learning technologies."
Rice and the University of Toronto are the only universities to participate in both edX and Coursera.
No time, place limits
Caroline Levander, Rice's vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives, said the university wants to be a leader in providing teaching that is not constrained by time or place. For example, the use of technology, such as videos for lectures or online forums for discussions, enables students to learn outside the classroom, giving teachers the opportunity to use classroom time more efficiently. Educators call that asynchronous learning.
"Coursera and edX have different assumptions and differently capabilities, so we think having course material that utilizes both and understanding both platforms is more than the sum of the parts," Levander said.
Edx is building an open-source educational platform and a network of top universities to improve education online and on campus. It is also using data from the online courses to research how students learn.
Levander said Rice can be innovative in blending on-campus and edX online courses, generating key research information on student learning.
"We see that as a real opportunity," Levander said.
Rice has extensive experience in open-source education. About 14 years ago, Rice professor Richard Baraniuk launched Connexions, a open education resource platform, which allows people to publish, modify or use teaching and learning materials that are freely available online.
From Connexions, Baraniuk established OpenStax College, a nonprofit publishing entity that produces free textbooks for introductory courses. It published its first textbooks last year. Baraniuk is now developing OpenStax Tutor, which will provide supplemental instructional tools free or for a small fee.
Agarwal said edX looks forward to collaborating with Rice on OpenStax College. Baraniuk said a number of Coursera courses use OpenStax textbooks.
Faculty excited :
"The whole MOOC gives us a double-edged approach to education," Baraniuk said. "It improves education locally and globally."
Rice has agreed to develop at least four courses for edX and offer certificates of completion. A request for proposals from faculty went out on Friday, with proposals due by March 15.
Levander said the faculty is excited about the opportunity and professors already have contacted her with ideas.
The university has budgeted $20,000 for faculty stipends to develop and launch courses. The stipend would also cover teaching assistants, copyrights, technology and instructional design support.
Faculty will integrate asynchronous content into their courses next school year as a test. If successful, they will become credit courses for Rice students before being developed into noncredit online courses for everyone.
"I think it's quite transformational in ways that are positive for the students on campus and a larger learning public," Levander said. "Hopefully the world will get smarter and more informed."
Source : Chron ( 20th Feb 2013 )
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