Coursera Gets The Nod From American Council On Education

Free online learning platforms have enjoyed a boom in popularity in recent times. Also called massive open online courses (MOOCs), these programs are available to anyone who wishes to take them. The topics range from superheroes to fantasy and science fiction to math to technology to literature. MOOC providers, in my mind, have opened up a wonderland of learning to those who wish to continue soaking in knowledge even when they’re already out of school.

While MOOC providers have been welcomed with open arms by students from all over the world, the road has not always been smooth – both for the providers and the learners. In Minnesota, for example, there is a law  that requires colleges to get permission from the government before they can offer instruction within the state boundaries. That seems logical, but it seems that the government extended the law’s application to MOOC providers. That’s the questionable point, perhaps, as the online platforms are not akin to traditional colleges. Naturally, that caught people’s attention, and it seems that the state rescinded its ban.

Of the MOOC providers, Coursera is one of the most known. I personally have had a couple of attempts  to complete a course, but still have to succeed in completing one. In any case, the success of the platform should not be measured by the performance (or lack thereof) of people like me.

Indeed, it seems that MOOC providers, Coursera in particular, have gotten really good results, so much so that the American Council on Education has given its stamp of approval.

The ACE College Credit Recommendation Service has identified five Coursera courses, which, if taken by students might potentially be counted as credit if/when they work toward their degree. While there is no certainty as to whether a college or university will credit the Coursera programs, there are thousands of educational institutions which take the recommendation of the ACE.

Interested in making your online learning efforts count in the traditional sense? Here are the five accredited courses offered by Coursers.

• Pre-Calculus from the University of California, Irvine
• Introduction to Genetics and Evolution from Duke University
• Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach from Duke University
• Calculus: Single Variable from the University of Pennsylvania
• Algebra from the University of California, Irvine

Hopefully, we’ll be seeing more added to the list.

[Images via tech360ng & stanforddaily]