A leading U.S. provider of online college courses on Thursday announced plans to expand into introductory level classes such as algebra and composition, marking a shift for a fledgling industry that has until now focused on specialized material.
Coursera, a popular for-profit provider of massive online open courses – known as MOOCs – will host a series of basic general education classes to be developed in partnerships with 10 state university systems across the United States.
“If we really want to move the needle, we can’t just stick with offering continuing education to lifelong learners,” said Daphne Koller, the Stanford computer scientist who co-founded Coursera. “We have to help people achieve degrees that will help them get a better life.”