MOOCs 2.0

Today, Sabastian Thrun, founder of Udacity, announced in Udacity's blog that the company has partnered with San Jose State University to offer 3 MOOCs for credit, for a small fee. SJSU will charge $150 per course. Credit for these courses will be accepted by the California State University system and by the University of California, according to the promotional email Udacity sent today.

I hope the fact that SJSU is willing to vouch for the quality of Udacity's courses will boost the educational legitimacy of MOOCs. Now that MOOCs can be taken for credit, it will be harder to consider them as solely educational experiments. Of course they are educational experiments, but they are also an evidence-based method of teaching effectively that fosters lasting learning.

I've been accused of asserting that I think online classes are equivalent to traditional classes. Let me say unequivocally: They are not. Traditional learning has advantages that online learning doesn't. Classrooms promote verbal expression and debate, meaningful human interaction, and the inspiration that comes from having an outstanding, dedicated teacher. But they cost $30,000 per year.

At $150 per course, if a student takes a full load of 5 courses, a year's tuition will cost $1,500. A bachelor's degree would cost $6,000. This is an amount that a student could fund with a part-time job, or that parents could pay without having to take a home equity loan. A $6,000 college education would make a high-quality education available to millions of people who can't afford it. It would free graduates to start businesses, work at non-profits, travel the world, and create art instead of scraping pennies every month to make a slavish student loan payment. 

Yes, some things are lost with online education. But some things are gained, too: Education based on sound scientific research, instruction that reaches people who don't learn well in lectures, and widespread access to the wealth of human knowledge. Most importantly, people will be able to get educated without sacrificing their financial freedom or future economic security.