Cornell announced Tuesday that it will soon begin offering several MOOCs, or massive open online courses, through edX, a not-for-profit organization.
In addition to Cornell, 14 other colleges — including Boston University, Berklee College of Music and Kyoto University in Japan — have just joined edX to offer MOOCs, according to a statement edX released Tuesday. To date, the enterprise, which was founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has allowed more than 900,000 individuals to enroll in university classes online for free.
While Cornell has yet to finalize what classes it will offer, which faculty will teach MOOCs and how it will handle potential concerns over intellectual property, the University will move forward based on recommendations made by a committee comprised of faculty, staff and representatives from the University Counsel, according to a University press release.
“In keeping with Cornell’s mission of teaching, research and public engagement, we are pleased to be joining edX to further support educational accessibility and the ability of our faculty members to expand the breadth and reach of their educational offerings,” Provost Kent Fuchs said in the press release. “We are committed to remaining in the forefront of educational innovation, and we expect that the wisdom and experience of our faculty and university partners will help shape the future of open online learning.”
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Original Author: Caroline Flax