Students at Southern New Hampshire University can now receive federal financial aid for a "self-paced online program" with no traditional courses or professors. It’s all about mastering competencies. Will it work?
Legislation introduced in the California Senate today could require the state’s public colleges and universities to award credit for faculty-approved online courses taken by students unable to register for oversubscribed classes on campus. This could be a boon for businesses offering the classes and ultimately change the business model of higher education.
Advocates say new, online programs will revolutionize higher education both in cyberspace and in the face-to-face classroom. But they may also be a threat to America's less-prestigious colleges and universities.
Stanford and MIT have gotten a lot of attention for offering free online courses to thousands of students at a time. But this week, a group of big name universities announced a new and smaller-scale take on online education.