OT- Coursera
I'm not sure if this should be OT since it involves the University, mods please change if you'd like, however UofM has teamed up with Princeton, Stanford and Penn to bring a company called Coursera. It is basically free online education that aims to provide the best possible education to the masses for free. Really a neat concept that I think most on here may enjoy.
While none of the courses that I scanned through seem too in depth yet, I can see this as a positive, innovative step in the right direction for the future of education.
Nothing wrong with free.
Tell that to Ohio
More to brag about at school how Michigan's the Harvard of the West.
Harvard is the Michigan of the East
April 18th, 2012 at 11:21 AM ^
...seems long overdue. It seems somewhat like Open University, which has existed as the primary distance learning vehicle in the UK since the late 1960s ( and it has many notable alums as well). Getting an education for free from premier institutions can only be a good thing.
EDIT: Already signing up for courses. I could definitely use refreshers on some topics. Awesome find - thanks!
Here's the IHE article.
Enjoy? Try Use.
Being a State grad, I have some serious catching up to do.
Thanks for the information. Looks like a great idea and I may even try a course or two in my spare time. Thanks again!
April 18th, 2012 at 10:39 AM ^
Really appreciate the heads up on this. Very cool that our University is providing such a useful free service; selfishly I've been out of school a few years and miss the mental stimulation that comes with learning something new that isn't directly related to work. I will definitely be taking a course - thanks again!
April 18th, 2012 at 11:11 AM ^
No problem, I figured that there was a large enough portion of the viewership on this board that would enjoy the mental stimulation from this material. Now if only I had the time to take all of the classes on here that seem interesting... I miss college...
The thing about this that's really different is you're not just observing the class, as you would on any of thousands of lectures available online (such as on YouTube). You're actually participating in the class and getting a grade.
sounds a lot like "The Khan Academy"
MIT has been a huge leader in this area; it's exciting to see Michigan partnering with some other academic heavyweights in this.