USM Center for Academic Innovation - Higher Education News

USM and edX to Launch MicroMasters Programs

admin-mj — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 18:54:33 +0000

USM and edX to Launch MicroMasters Programs, Which May Accelerate Path to Advanced Degrees. Non-Degree Programs in Bioinformatics, Cloud Computing, Instructional Design and Technology, and Software Testing and Verification, will be offered by national online education leader UMUC.

Adelphi, Md. (Feb. 28, 2017) -- The �鶹��ý (USM) is partnering with edX, the free online learning destination founded by Harvard and MIT, to offer four new MicroMasters® Programs. These programs consist of free, non-credit master's-level courses, which can accelerate the pathway to an advanced degree and save students thousands of dollars in tuition and fees.

The non-degree programs in Bioinformatics, Cloud Computing, Instructional Design and Technology, and Software Testing and Verification will be offered by national online education leader University of Maryland University College (UMUC), a USM member institution.

MicroMasters® programs consist of three or four courses and are an important modular and flexible credential for the digital age, promising to serve as academic currency in a world in which lifelong learning is increasingly important. These programs also support an inverted admissions process, allowing learners everywhere to try master's-level coursework from UMUC before committing significant time and money toward applying for and enrolling in a full master's degree program.

(More information about the edX national announcement today of its national partners, including USM, can be found here.)

Through UMUC's prior-learning assessment process, those who successfully complete a MicroMasters® program may be able to apply the non-credit courses toward the master's degree program in that subject area at UMUC. Academicians at the university estimate that 20 to 50 percent of a master's degree could be completed through these MicroMasters® programs.

"This next step in the USM partnership with edX reflects the system's emphasis on making our graduates marketable to future employers," said USM Chancellor Robert L. Caret. "The MicroMasters® concept will ease the pathway toward graduate degree completion, another way USM is serving the needs of Maryland employers and students."

"The MicroMasters® programs align perfectly with our mission to provide a quality, accessible, and affordable pathway to an education," said UMUC President Javier Miyares. "Through these programs, we can offer working adults the opportunity to gain a credential at no cost, giving them a leg up with their employers and boosting their careers by speeding their progress toward an advanced degree."

"UMUC's offerings mark an exciting step toward furthering our shared mission to expand access to high-quality education," said Anant Agarwal, CEO at edX and professor at MIT. "The MicroMasters® programs on edX empower learners everywhere to improve their lives and advance their careers. Signaling the next level of innovation in learning, MicroMasters® programs are designed to meet the needs of both universities and employers by providing learners with the in-demand knowledge and skills needed for success in today's rapidly-evolving and tech-driven world."

In September 2016, edX and 14 international partners launched 19 MicroMasters® programs, offering courses in popular subjects such as artificial intelligence and user experience design. The USM joins edX and top global university partners in expanding the initiative, offering learners everywhere access to high-quality, career-focused education. UMUC has launched the largest number of MicroMasters programs (4) on edX.

UMUC MicroMasters® programs will be launched in May on the edX platform and are open for enrollment beginning today.

About UMUC

A pioneer in distance education since 1947, University of Maryland University College is a world leader in innovative education models, with award-winning online programs in workforce-relevant areas such as cybersecurity, biotechnology, data analytics, and information technology. UMUC offers open access with a global footprint and a specific mission-to meet the learning needs of adult students whose responsibilities often include jobs, families, and military service. Today, UMUC is harnessing the power of learning science and technology to deliver high quality education that is accessible, affordable, and valued.

UMUC Contact: Bob Ludwig (301) 985-7253 robert.ludwig@umuc.edu

Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu

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The MicroMasters® programs align perfectly with our mission to provide a quality, accessible, and affordable pathway to an education.

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http://www.usmd.edu/newsroom/news/1707

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USM Launches EdX Partnership

admin-mj — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 14:51:28 +0000

The �鶹��ý (USM) has entered into a groundbreaking partnership with edX, the nonprofit online learning destination founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012 to increase global access to high-quality education. The agreement is designed to further increase student success, as well as the access, affordability, and quality of higher education in Maryland and around the world.

The new partnership brings together a diverse university system comprising 12 institutions—including University of Maryland University College (UMUC), a pioneer in delivering online courses globally and developing innovative online learning models for adult students—with edX’s research to supercharge data analytics that can help improve learning outcomes for diverse student groups.

As USM-member schools, Bowie State University, Coppin State University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore will become the first Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) to be among the ranks of edX partner universities.

“The �鶹��ý partnership with edX draws on several strengths: UMUC’s long history of online learning delivery, the data analytics capacity of edX, and the diversity of the USM’s 12 institutions. We are committed to utilizing academic innovation as a way to maintain quality and decrease costs,” said USM Chancellor Robert L. Caret. “This partnership is a big step in that direction. I am especially pleased that USM’s three historically black institutions are the first to join the edX collaboration.”

The USM will hold membership in edX at the “Contributing Charter Member” level, which includes the ability to share anonymous data edX collects for research purposes, collaborate with the edX engineering team on Open edX platform enhancements, and course design and development assistance.

UMUC has committed $2 million to the USM to support the edX partnership as a strategic priority.

“UMUC’s unique position as the largest public, online university in the country, our mission as the state of Maryland’s open-access university created to serve working adults, and our history as an early and successful adopter of online courses and programs were key drivers in the system’s pursuit of the partnership,” said Javier Miyares, UMUC’s president. “We look forward to working closely with the edX team on a number of fronts to improve access and student success.”

“We are honored to welcome the �鶹��ý to edX,” said Anant Agarwal, edX CEO and MIT Professor. “An innovator in online education, UMUC will offer high-quality education to the global edX learning community and for credit courses that offer pathways from MOOCs to on-campus programs and credit.”

UMUC and the University of Maryland, Baltimore will initiate the first offering under the new agreement, a free Global Health course for health-care workers in developing countries utilizing the edX platform. Partnership projects involving other USM schools are still in the preliminary stages.

The partnership with the �鶹��ý is only the second such agreement for edX with a state university system. EdX entered into a partnership with The University of Texas System in 2014.

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http://www.usmd.edu/cai/usm-launches-edx-partnership

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Many Colleges Now See Centers for Teaching With Technology as Part of ‘Innovation Infrastructure’

admin-annika — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 18:38:35 +0000

The survey conducted by the Kirwan Center on directors of academic-technology centers at 163 colleges and universities is featured in an new article in the Chronicle of Higher Education

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Leading Academic Change

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http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/many-colleges-now-see-centers-for-teaching-with-technology-as-part-of-innovation-infrastructure/57593

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College, On Your Own

admin-um — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 18:29:47 +0000

Competency-based education can help motivated students. But critics say it’s no panacea.

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Higher Education News

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http://chronicle.com/article/College-On-Your-Own/147659/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

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