Dive Summary:
- In the first partnerships between liberal arts colleges and MOOC providers, Wesleyan and Wellesley have partnered with Coursera and edX respectively.
- EdX President Anant Agarwal says that he's interested to see how the partnership with a women's liberal arts college does as far as attracting a more diverse mix of students, as edX's students have been disproportionately male, and Wellesley Provost and Dean Andy Shennan says the school's MOOCs will more than likely reflect its mission as a women's college.
- What the colleges stand to gain is murkier, though, but Shennan and Wesleyan President Michael Roth say that both schools have faculty intrigued by the MOOC format and excited to be part of the movement, and that they plan to engage undergraduate students when it comes to planning the courses and to apply what's learned from the format to campus teaching.
From the article:
For MOOC providers, the appeal of partnering with liberal arts colleges is relatively straightforward: a wider array of courses means a larger number of students. “We want to offer the best programs, and Wellesley certainly fits that criterion,” said edX President Anant Agarwal. “They really add a new diversity.” ...