This reminds me of an earlier PEN-L discussion in the context of the firing and reinstatement of the UVa president last year. In this discussion, I was enthusiastic about the progressive possibilities of open courseware initiatives, while Joanna and others were skeptical.
In retrospect, Joanna was quite right and I am embarrassed at how naive I was. I simply was not sufficiently cynical about the motives of the people behind these initiatives. Oh well. Live and learn. http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg28050.html -raghu. On Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 12:54 PM, raghu <[email protected]> wrote: > That was fast.. Also note the use of "pause", not "suspend". > > > http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/18/citing-disappointing-student-outcomes-san-jose-state-pauses-work-udacity > ---------------------------snip > > After six months of high-profile experimentation, San Jose State > University plans to “pause” its work with Udacity, a company that promises > to deliver low-cost, high-quality online education to the masses. > > The decision will likely be seen as a setback for a unique partnership > announced > in > January<http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/16/california-looks-moocs-online-push>by > California Gov. Jerry Brown in a 45-minute news conference with > university officials and Udacity CEO Sebastian Thrun. > > The pause is also the latest in a series of > developments<http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/09/higher-ed-leaders-urge-slow-down-mooc-train>that > may dampen the often hyperbolic enthusiasm that has surrounded massive > open online courses, even though the companies that provide MOOCs have > received millions in venture capital money. > > Thrun, a prominent Silicon Valley figure who invented the self-driving car > and worked on Google Glass, said in January that his work with San Jose > State could “change the life of Californians” by expanding access and > lowering costs. So far, that future is elusive. > > San Jose State Provost Ellen Junn said disappointing student performance > will prompt the university to stop offering online classes with Udacity > this fall as part of a "short breather." > > Junn wants to spend the fall going over the results and talking with > faculty members about the university’s online experimentation, which > extends beyond the Udacity partnership and has proved somewhat > controversial<http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/05/03/san-jose-state-university-faculty-pushes-back-against-edx>. > She said the plan is to start working with Udacity again in spring 2014. > > >
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