Is Semester Online the beginning of the revolution?

I was delighted by the Inside Higher Education report that 10 top ranked universities have joined with 2U (formerly 2tor) to form a consortium called Semester Online:

Semester Online is the first-of-its-kind program to offer rigorous, online, for-credit undergraduate courses through a consortium of top-tier colleges and universities. The program will be delivered through a virtual classroom environment and interactive platform developed by 2U, formerly known as 2tor.

Semester Online courses will feature primarily the same faculty and curricula as their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Students will experience a state-of-the-art virtual classroom, including live class sessions that connect students and renowned professors; compelling, richly produced, self-paced course materials; and a strong social network that allows students to collaborate and build relationships online.

Students will have the chance to take advantage of unique course offerings from some of the most prestigious institutions in the country, courses they would not otherwise have access to. They will be able to work, travel, participate in off-campus research programs or manage personal commitments that in the past would have meant putting their studies on hold.

Credit will be awarded by the consortium member that provides the course, which will also determine admissions requirements for the course.  

The reason that I found this announcement exciting is tied to an article I wrote long ago and far away.

 In 2000, I considered the potential disruptive power of distance learning (DL) in an article in Change Magazine (Nov./Dec.2000, 20. This apparently is no longer accessible, but one can find a preprint here.)  In that article I wrote:

Some students will continue to find the traditional residential college experience to be most desirable, while others may find they can create more desirable options  by "unbundling"  the roles of the college through DL.  For example, a student might want to take a junior year through DL while traveling, or she might want to take a minimal load while in residence at her university and take most of her courses from a variety of other institutions through DL. While we all have rules regarding transfer credits for matriculated students, the competitive pressures to relax those rules could become quite intense as DL increases in demonstrated quality and effectiveness. One important aspect of DL may be, therefore, that the increased options it provides will give students more opportunity to create a more customized approach to higher education.

It has taken 12 years for an experiment to occur, but the Semester Online consortium finally will begin to test what happens when we offer students the ability to customize their education utilizing high quality, credit-bearing online courses from major, high brand institutions.  This is the beginning of a lovely experiment in disruption!

 

 

Comments

[M. Dinorah Fix-Padilla]

It is fantastic to see that top universities have taken into consideration testing online education. Currently, I am an online student, personally I had a positive experience with online studies. Online education has provided the flexibility that I need to manage my personal life and my educational goals.

[Jackie Trident]

It's very exciting to see that students will be able to take competitive courses from top universities from the comfort of their own homes. Some may have families or work obligations which may make it difficult to commute to campus or attend in person. Technology is truly changing education.

[Williams Truex]

Hm I am really a bit sceptical where this is all heading. I personally believe that the new media should also give the opportunity for non-university institutions to deliver education. This implies that there may be general tests available such that students can test their knowledge. Over time, there will be much more diversity in the education market which I consider generally favorable. The Semester Online consortium we will have probably a huge impact... and power. I sincerely hope that they use it wisely.

[Muvaffak GOZAYDIN]

Alexa
I wrote a long letter to you.
I repeat. What you do is great .
That was my vision 10 years ago. Nobody accepted .
I wish we can look up Linked-in now .

But you have to expand it to 20-30 schools.
Please choose the same level schools for the consortium.
1.- Try to get fee as small as possible .
If you reach theoretically 20 colleges fee should be 1/20 of the original tuition .
My motto is $ 10-50 per course .
2.- There should be several consortium like you but each consortium should have a different level of ( let us say ) SAT, level of difficulty of courses must be almost same .

3.- I can market such full 100 % online degree programs in Turkey too.
I am an education volunteer .
Turkey has 170 universities, 4 million students, 1 million of that in 2 years colleges .
There are also 1 million students who could n ot enter into university due to lack of space .
They will be our main customers too .

I would apply to Turkish Higher Education Council in order to accredit degrees you would provide. Even if they do not still we can market, since people are hungry for higher education .
I am at your service.

[Alexa Scordato]

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks so much for covering Semester Online! I work at 2U and we couldn't be more excited about launching this endeavor. Many institutions have experimented in distance learning over the years, but technology today makes it possible for us to deliver an online learning experience that is truly comparable to brick and mortar offerings.

There's never been a more exciting time to be in the higher education space.

Thanks again and stay tuned... much more to come in 2013!

Best,
Alexa
Dir. of Social Media
@2Uinc | @semesteronline