Friday, March 8, 2013

Coursera credentials today, full Coursera-powered degrees tomorrow? - Ki Mae Heussner, GigaOM

Even if providers of massive open online courses don’t intend to provide degrees or degree equivalents, that doesn’t mean degrees fully powered by informal sources aren’t on the horizon. Barely a year into their existence, massive open online course (MOOC) providers, like Coursera EdX and Udacity, are starting to offer certificates that can be put toward university credit. But are full MOOC degrees on the horizon? When asked that question by New York Times education reporter Laura Pappano on stage at the SXSWedu education technology conference in Austin Wednesday, Coursera co-founder Andrew Ng gave the diplomatic reply: “Coursera isn’t a university. We don’t offer degrees of academic credit. We’re a humble hosting platform.” To which Anant Agarwal, president of the nonprofit EdX, quipped: “a very politically correct answer” (drawing a round of laughter from the audience). http://gigaom.com/2013/03/06/coursera-credentials-today-full-coursera-powered-degrees-tomorrow/