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Coursera: Coursera’s Financial Aid: What it is and who is benefiting
When Coursera began offering our first paid product, Course Certificates, we also committed to supporting a comprehensive financial aid option. We knew that financial aid would be critical to achieving our mission of enabling all individuals, regardless of their financial means, to access the world’s best education. We recently approved our 100,000th financial aid application of the year. As we pass this exciting milestone, we wanted to share an update on how Financial Aid works, who benefits, and how we plan to improve the program to help more learners achieve their goals. What is Financial Aid? Coursera offers financial aid for learners who could benefit from our paid products, but cannot afford to pay the associated fee. Learners accepted into the program are granted a fee waiver that allows them to access all of the course content and complete all work required to earn a Certificate. To receive Coursera Financial Aid, learners must complete a brief application describin…
Udemy: October 23, 2015: Friday News Roundup
If it’s Friday, it must be roundup time! Check out this week’s notable articles. Why women in the workplace are screwed in 7 charts “At the current pace of progress, we are more than 100 years away from gender equality in the C-suite.” This quote from Sheryl Sandberg got a lot of attention this week [...]…
Khan Academy: Happy Mole Day from Khan Academy!
As a chemistry nerd, Mole Day is one of my favorite days. What’s a mole, you ask? It’s another name for Avogadro’s number, 6.022 × 1023. And 1023 is today’s date - 10/23 - see how we did that?! Chemists, so creative. So really, it is just a number like a “dozen” or a “pair.” It is actually a really really big number that we could also write out as 602214129000000000000000. In fact, did you know that Avogadro’s number is more than a million times as big as the number of seconds since the Big Bang? Chemists use moles to make counting easier, like when talking about numbers of atoms or molecules. We can actually count anything in terms of moles, like water molecules. How many molecules are in a cup of water, which holds about 240 g of water? It turns out that a cup of water contains about 8,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules of water. That’s a lot of molecules and chemists don’t want to write that out every tim…
edX: #OpenedX2015: Open edX Conference Wrap-up
Why Open edX? Well, for one thing, the coolness factor. Open edX is the cool kid on the block. – Adolfo Brandes, hastexo The 2nd annual Open edX Conference was filled with thought-provoking conversations, engaging presentations, and practical takeaways. More than 200 Open edX enthusiasts, developers, users, researchers, and educators traveled from around the world to join the discussion. Those who weren’t able to attend... Read More about #OpenedX2015: Open edX Conference Wrap-up The post #OpenedX2015: Open edX Conference Wrap-up appeared first on edX Blog.
Learning Solutions Magazine: Gender Representation in eLearning by Judy Katz
The issue of how to represent gender in eLearning in a way that is authentic and helpful is not an easy one. The answers are not simple, and even considering the questions can be uncomfortable for many. In this article, you will find some excellent guidelines, and ideas to spark productive conversations within our industry and your department.
Udemy: Happy instructors = Music to our ears
When we say the lunches rock at Udemy, we’re not just talking about the catering! Recently, we were treated to a lunchtime concert by rock and blues guitarist Jimmy Dillon, who teaches our Ultimate Acoustic Blues course. Over the span of a long and successful career, Jimmy’s shared the stage with such music luminaries as [...]…
Coursera: Coursera Professor Takes “Day of Compassion” Challenge to NPR Listeners
What would happen if thousands of people around the world spent an entire day being as compassionate to fellow human beings as possible? Thanks to Wesleyan University Professor Scott Plous’ Social Psychology course, we don’t have to wonder. The wildly popular class, which debuted on Coursera in 2013, culminates with a “Day of Compassion” assignment, for which students from India to Colombia to Australia have volunteered at hospitals, fought sexual abuse, become grassroots activists and even, in one case, saved a life. And the effects have proved to be long-lasting—as a result of the exercise, many students say their own lives have been transformed. Plous recently appeared on NPR’s “Hidden Brain” podcast to talk about the science of compassion with reporter Shankar Vedantam—and invited radio listeners everywhere to take on the 24-hour challenge. We caught up with Plous to discuss his journey from being an online learning skeptic t…
Coursera: Coursera Professor Takes “Day of Compassion” Challenge to NPR Listeners
What would happen if thousands of people around the world spent an entire day being as compassionate to fellow human beings as possible? Thanks to Wesleyan University Professor Scott Plous’ Social Psychology course, we don’t have to wonder. The wildly popular class, which debuted on Coursera in 2013, culminates with a “Day of Compassion” assignment, for which students from India to Colombia to Australia have volunteered at hospitals, fought sexual abuse, become grassroots activists and even, in one case, saved a life. And the effects have proved to be long-lasting—as a result of the exercise, many students say their own lives have been transformed. Plous recently appeared on NPR’s “Hidden Brain” podcast to talk about the science of compassion with reporter Shankar Vedantam—and invited radio listeners everywhere to take on the 24-hour challenge. We caught up with Plous to discuss his journey from being an online learning skeptic t…
Coursera: Coursera Professor Takes “Day of Compassion” Challenge to NPR Listeners
What would happen if thousands of people around the world spent an entire day being as compassionate to fellow human beings as possible? Thanks to Wesleyan University Professor Scott Plous’ Social Psychology course, we don’t have to wonder. The wildly popular class, which debuted on Coursera in 2013, culminates with a “Day of Compassion” assignment, for which students from India to Colombia to Australia have volunteered at hospitals, fought sexual abuse, become grassroots activists and even, in one case, saved a life. And the effects have proved to be long-lasting—as a result of the exercise, many students say their own lives have been transformed. Plous recently appeared on NPR’s “Hidden Brain” podcast to talk about the science of compassion with reporter Shankar Vedantam—and invited radio listeners everywhere to take on the 24-hour challenge. We caught up with Plous to discuss his journey from being an online learning skeptic t…
edX: Helping Nontraditional Learners Gain College Degrees and Credentials
Today, we are proud to announce our participation in the ACE (American Council on Education) Alternative Credit Project™, an initiative to help millions of nontraditional learners gain a college degree. ACE, the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, has selected three Boston University math MOOCs on edX as part of the initiative. Learners can take the selected courses, receive a verified... Read More about Helping Nontraditional Learners Gain College Degrees and Credentials The post Helping Nontraditional Learners Gain College Degrees and Credentials appeared first on edX Blog.
Saylor.org: Release: Alternative Credit Project™
American Council on Education Unveils Alternative Credit Project Course Pool Saylor Academy Participating in Initiative to Help Nontraditional Learners Gain College Degrees and Credentials Washington, DC (Oct. 21, 2015) — The American Council on Education (ACE) today announced the pool of courses selected as part of ACE’s Alternative Credit Project™, a groundbreaking initiative to boost the ... Read More ...
edX: Back to the Future, with edX
Great Scott! Back to the Future Day is here! If you’re familiar with the 1980s Back to the Future film franchise, you may already know why sci-fi fans everywhere are celebrating today: October 21, 2015 is the day in the then-far future to which Marty McFly accidentally time-travels. To celebrate this momentous fictional occasion, revisit Back to the Future in a whole new way with... Read More about Back to the Future, with edX The post Back to the Future, with edX appeared first on edX Blog.
Iversity: 5 Questions for Nicholas Wenzel, “Social Innovation” MOOC instructor
Social innovations are everywhere and largely influence our lives: they can change the rules in business, civil society and politics. With this approach we can design social practices that are more beneficial, sustainable or just. But what exactly are social innovations? To find out more about this fascinating topic, we spoke with MOOC instructor Nicholas Wenzel. His […] The post 5 Questions for Nicholas Wenzel, “Social Innovation” MOOC instructor appeared first on iversity Blog.
Learning Solutions Magazine: Five Awesome Resources for eLearning Designers, Developers, and Project Managers (and a Raffle!) by Bill Brandon
Everybody wants to impress learners and clients. Project managers want to handle the “how-much-time-will-this-take” question in a way that creates clarity and confidence. Designers and developers want to deliver content and media that engages. Here are five great tips that you can use on your next project!
Coursera: An update on assessments, grades, and certification
Our mission is to provide universal access to the world’s best education. As we work toward long-term sustainability, we are continually iterating on our platform and course formats. We wanted to let you know about one upcoming change that will affect some courses starting in January 2016. When you enroll in certain courses, you’ll be asked to pay a small fee (or apply for Coursera’s financial aid program) if you’d like to access graded assignments or earn a Course Certificate. You can also choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but you won’t be able to submit graded assignments or earn a certificate. In order to provide universal access to our paid offerings, we introduced financial aid as part of our first certificate product. We remain fully committed to our financial aid program. This year, we have already provided over 100,000 learners with access to Course Certificates through financial aid. In the coming…
Coursera: An update on assessments, grades, and certification
Our mission is to provide universal access to the world’s best education. As we work toward long-term sustainability, we are continually iterating on our platform and course formats. We wanted to let you know about one upcoming change that will affect some courses starting in January 2016. When you enroll in certain courses, you’ll be asked to pay a small fee (or apply for Coursera’s financial aid program) if you’d like to access graded assignments or earn a Course Certificate. You can also choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but you won’t be able to submit graded assignments or earn a certificate. In order to provide universal access to our paid offerings, we introduced financial aid as part of our first certificate product. We remain fully committed to our financial aid program. This year, we have already provided over 100,000 learners with access to Course Certificates through financial aid. In the coming…
Coursera: An update on assessments, grades, and certification
Our mission is to provide universal access to the world’s best education. As we work toward long-term sustainability, we are continually iterating on our platform and course formats. We wanted to let you know about one upcoming change that will affect some courses starting in January 2016. When you enroll in certain courses, you’ll be asked to pay a small fee (or apply for Coursera’s financial aid program) if you’d like to access graded assignments or earn a Course Certificate. You can also choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but you won’t be able to submit graded assignments or earn a certificate. In order to provide universal access to our paid offerings, we introduced financial aid as part of our first certificate product. We remain fully committed to our financial aid program. This year, we have already provided over 100,000 learners with access to Course Certificates through financial aid. In the coming…
Saylor.org: Monday Morning Digest
The Monday Morning Digest (or MMD, for short) is a collection of some of the news and opinion that caught our collective eyes over the past week. Sometimes whimsical, sometimes serious, always considered, we present these links for your entertainment and edification and everything between. ▸ Can Physics Be Taught Like Soccer? (Hechinger Report) Zhongzhou Chen, ... Read More ...
edX: Harness the Power of Consumers Through Digital Branding and Engagement
If you’re interested in engagement and branding in a digital era, or if your marketing career pre-dates Instagram (or worse, the iPhone), you should take this course. Here’s why. We live in a digital world. Today, more than 3 billion people are connected to the Internet. With every second that passes there will be another 50,284 Google searches, 2,545 uploads to Instagram and 106,504 videos... Read More about Harness the Power of Consumers Through Digital Branding and Engagement The post Harness the Power of Consumers Through Digital Branding and Engagement appeared first on edX Blog.
Learning Solutions Magazine: Video Compression Secrets: Smaller Files, Better Quality UPDATED! by Stephen Haskin
This is an update to the original article published in Learning Solutions Magazine July 8, 2013. That article has had over 170,000 page views, so evidently readers are finding it useful! However, technology changes, so we decided to revise and re-publish.