Ohio, Minnesota Higher Ed Systems To Share Online Programs

Two state systems have formally agreed to work together in sharing tools, services, planning, and implementation strategies to bolster their online student services. The University System of Ohio and Minnesota State Colleges & Universities, both consisting of numerous public campuses, have signed the memorandum of understanding to expedite rollout of online and hybrid courses in their respective programs.

The Ohio system will provide its E 4 ME course developed by the Ohio Learning Network, a month-long introduction to distance learning that can be adapted to another institution's needs. The primary audience of the course is adults 25 or older who may have some college education, yet have not completed a degree or certificate.

The Minnesota system will share two tools: its electronic portfolio, eFolio Minnesota, which allows students to share their writing, academic, and career documents with teachers and others; and its "Goals, Planning = Success" (GPS) LifePlan application, which gives students as well as Minnesota residents an electronic tool to integrate academic and career planning into the electronic portfolio program.

This isn't the first time Minnesota has taken its electronic portfolio initiative out of state. Last year, California Virtual Campus (CVC) signed a licensing agreement with the Minnesota system to implement a pilot project called ePortfolio California, using Minnesota's technology. eFolio Minnesota has been in operation seven years.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • data professionals in a meeting

    Data Fluency as a Strategic Imperative

    As an institution's highest level of data capabilities, data fluency taps into the agency of technical experts who work together with top-level institutional leadership on issues of strategic importance.

  • stylized AI code and a neural network symbol, paired with glitching code and a red warning triangle

    New Anthropic AI Models Demonstrate Coding Prowess, Behavior Risks

    Anthropic has released Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, its most advanced artificial intelligence models to date, boasting a significant leap in autonomous coding capabilities while simultaneously revealing troubling tendencies toward self-preservation that include attempted blackmail.

  • university building with classical architecture is partially overlaid by a glowing digital brain graphic

    NSF Invests $100 Million in National AI Research Institutes

    The National Science Foundation has announced a $100 million investment in National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes, part of a broader White House strategy to maintain American leadership as competition with China intensifies.

  • black analog alarm clock sits in front of a digital background featuring a glowing padlock symbol and cybersecurity icons

    The Clock Is Ticking: Higher Education's Big Push Toward CMMC Compliance

    With the United States Department of Defense's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 framework entering Phase II on Dec. 16, 2025, institutions must develop a cybersecurity posture that's resilient, defensible, and flexible enough to keep up with an evolving threat landscape.