Olivet Nazarene U Offers Tuition-Free Online General Ed Courses for Adult Learners

A new program out of Olivet Nazarene University's School of Graduate and Continuing Studies is using an online, asynchronous flipped model to provide adult students a pathway to earn a bachelor's degree. The Your Way program offers tuition-free general education courses in which students access course material independently, and then participate in an online community with classmates and faculty to "expand their knowledge and deepen understanding," the university explained in a news announcement.

"Through Your Way, general education courses are tuition-free so that adult students from across the nation have equitable access to college," said Ryan Spittal, vice president for Olivet's ONU Global division, in a statement. "Since every student has to take general education courses before taking the courses specific to their degree program, this tuition-free general education initiative flattens barriers and bends the cost curve, allowing students to take courses with no up-front costs."

Built on Salesforce's Trailhead online learning platform, Your Way courses are designed in small, "bite-sized" chunks along with knowledge-check assessments, student engagement activities and gamification badges. Students can access their courses from anywhere, any time, and on any device. Olivet has also created a digital campus on Salesforce's Experience Cloud platform, where students can enter their virtual classroom, collaborate with peers, get help from advisers and other staff, and more.  

"With 15 years in the online market, Olivet knows that compelling content is important, but we feel that facilitating connection in an online environment is key to effective education," continued Spittal. "It is more important now than ever before, especially in this social-distancing culture, to provide a quality education and moment-making connections in an online experience that reflects our supportive on-campus ethos."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major security advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.

  • Analyst uses a computer and dashboard for analysis of information on complex data sets

    How University Leaders Can Ethically and Responsibly Implement AI

    To fully leverage AI while mitigating risks, university leaders must adopt a responsible and ethical approach — one that is proactive, thoughtful, and grounded in a framework of trust.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Launches Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has introduced a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.

  • chart with ascending bars and two silhouetted figures observing it, set against a light background with blue and purple tones

    Report: Enterprises Embracing Agentic AI

    According to research by SnapLogic, 50% of enterprises are already deploying AI agents, and another 32% plan to do so within the next 12 months..