Harvard Goes Outside to Go Online - Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed

If any American university might be positioned to begin a new online program all by itself, Harvard University -- with its world-famous brand, many-billion-dollar endowment and founding relationship with the online course provider edX -- might be it. But the university announced Monday that three of its schools would create a new business analytics certificate program with 2U, the online program management company. Aimed at executives in full-time work, the course will be delivered through 2U’s online platform and will feature live, seminar-style classes with Harvard faculty members. The course will cost around $50,000 for three semesters, with an estimated time requirement of 10 hours per week. The deal between Harvard and 2U comes as some analysts and observers question whether universities will (and should) continue to pay outside companies to take their programs online. (A highly critical report Monday questioned whether such arrangements might undermine public higher education.) https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/08/08/harvard-teams-corporate-partner-offer-online-business-analytics-program