The UI will offer seven online courses as part of an agreement announced July 17 with commercial provider Coursera that will expand the company's nationwide massive open online course platform.
The Urbana campus was among a dozen universities announcing the partnership, the second such announcement by Coursera this year. Formed in 2011 by two Stanford computer science professors, the company says it has recorded 1.6 million course enrollments for 43 free, non-credit courses through 16 universities.
The UI's courses, each offered for five to 10 weeks, are in physical and earth sciences, economics/finance and computer science, and will be offered as early as September. The courses to be offered are listed online.
Two months ago, Urbana Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise formed a faculty committee to study a possible Coursera partnership. The Senate Executive Committee discussed the committee's report July 16. Because of a contractual deadline, the agreement to participate in Coursera was signed shortly before this discussion but after the SEC agreed to support the committee's recommendation to join the initiative.
Chairman Matt Wheeler said officials scrambled to contact SEC members and to have the Coursera agreement fully approved in time for the announcement. Final agreements were not signed until the weekend.
"Sometimes there are opportunities that we have to move quickly on," he said of the behind-the-scenes work. "Opportunity only knocks once sometimes."
He said the agreement was a starting point and that questions remain, including procedures for deciding which courses will be taught in the future and oversight issues.
"There will be more in-depth discussions," Wheeler said, calling the new partnership a "game-changer."
He said while there are opportunities for revenue, the Coursera partnership is more important for its public engagement function - giving the public a chance to learn at a higher-education level. He said the university's involvement could help shape the format of Coursera's service.
Computer science professor Rob Rutenbar, who prepared a university report recommending the partnership, said the agreement marks the beginning of the partnership as officials nail down operational details - including pedagogical and logistical issues.
"The heavy lifting will be done by the disciplinary units," he said, referring to the decisions about which classes will be offered and how they will be presented. He said the university will likely establish training programs and that Coursera already has developed assessment technology for students using the system.
"I think there's going to be an interesting ecosystem this sets up," he said. "There are some issues that need to be worked out, but we can do that in parallel. We want to put things together in a focused way."
Still, there are questions, such as the Educational Policy Committee's role in any new online offerings, who will be the contact points for Coursera company officials, and funding, among others.
While there are obvious educational advantages to a massive open online course, there also is a marketing component in that students may compare similar courses from competing universities, Wise said.
"I think this can attract some high school students who haven't decided where they're going to go," she said.
She said she was pleased that campus leaders had moved so quickly and steadfastly on the partnership.
"I'm really proud of being part of that first group," she said. "There are going to be 50 to 100 more who want to climb on."