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University of the People Opens Its Online Courses to Any University

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 03/17/20

A tuition-free university, the University of the People, said it would make its online courses available to American universities, enabling their students to take courses for credit. That includes 115 accredited courses in general education, business, computer science, health science and education.

The institution said that for any students joining its classes, assessment fees (which are normally $100 per undergraduate course and $200 for each graduate course) would be "addressed between UoPeople and the university sending students to our courses."

The idea is that interested universities would select the relevant courses, which would be taught by University of the People faculty, and then students would earn credit from their institution.

The university has also offered to train faculty from other institutions "in the techniques and strategies for teaching courses online." Those instructors are also invited to participate in courses alongside their students to see how online instruction works.

"Universities are facing an enormous challenge in having to shut down campuses and start up online, all without sacrificing educational quality. However, online education is not simply improvising with the internet; it is an actual practice that requires technology and expertise," said university President Shai Reshef, in a statement. "Because we have been online for more than 10 years, we are in a unique position to offer our courses to all interested institutions."

Interested universities should contact Chief of Staff Caroline Powers.

About the Author

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

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