UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke and Wake Forest are teaming up with several other universities to offer online undergraduate courses for credit and that can be taken at a member university where a student isn’t enrolled.
The “Semester Online” program also includes Brandeis University, Emory University, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, University of Rochester, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University in St. Louis.
Unlike the Coursera program in which Duke also participates, classes are not free.
Consortium members say Semester Online is a “first-of-its-kind program to offer online, for-credit undergraduate courses through a consortium of top-tier universities.”
Classes will be offered beginning in fall 2013.
Only academically qualified undergraduate students at consortium members can participate.
“Joining the Semester Online consortium is a natural next step for UNC-Chapel Hill to enhance the access our students have to new ideas and information,” said Ron Strauss, executive vice provost and chief international officer. “The University’s participation, through the Kenan-Flagler Business School, is consistent with our mission of preparing students to become the next generation of leaders for North Carolina, our nation and the world.”
Technology from 2U will be used for the virtual classrooms.
The classes will be live, led by professors, and limited to 20 students coupled with what the consortium calls “a strong social network” to link students.
UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, which already offers online masters courses, will develop the first online courses for the university.
