Connecticut's public online college to award college credit for MOOCs
New Britain, CT -- December 10, 2015 -- Charter Oak State College, Connecticut's public online college, has announced that it will award credit for select online courses known as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) taken through the edX.org platform.
This collaboration creates the potential for edX learners to earn college credit for those courses reviewed and approved by Charter Oak's Connecticut Credit Assessment Program (CCAP).
Ed Klonoski, President, Charter Oak State College said, "For Charter Oak, evaluating prior learning for college credit is what we were created to do. Now, we have the opportunity to partner with a worldwide leader in online learning, edX, to award college credit for successful completion of select courses." Klonoski continues, "This partnership reflects our mission of using non-traditional means to speed adults toward the completion of their college degrees in a cost effective manner."
Klonoski added, "This partnership is another innovative strategy for us to increase enrollment and support our sustainability by providing an outstanding value to students. The total cost to students of the course and credit is approximately $350."
"We are pleased to offer a new pathway to college credit through this collaboration with Charter Oak State College," said Anant Agarwal, edX CEO and MIT Professor. "EdX learners around the world will now be able to earn credit for their hard work and success in MOOCs, offering an opportunity to many who would otherwise never have access to high-quality education and credit."
The first two edX courses Charter Oak will offer credit for are open for enrollment now at www.edx.org/charter-oak, and begin in January. They include MITx's Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python beginning January 13, and UC BerkeleyX's Engineering Software as a Service (SaaS) Part 2 beginning January 11. Learners can earn three lower level college credits from Charter Oak for the successful completion of the MITx course, and two upper level credits from Charter Oak for the UC BerkeleyX course.
Additional edX courses continue to be reviewed for credit, and will be included in the program in the coming weeks and months.
Benefits for edX learners
- Course credit for open online courses - Charter Oak provides a pathway for learners to earn accredited college credit for knowledge learned through MOOCs.
- Cost Effective - students earn affordable college credit that can then be applied to credentials, continuing ed credits, or completion of a college degree.
- Learn before payment - students learn now and decide to pay later for college credit. This provides qualified students with a pathway for academic exploration who may otherwise not seek college credit.
- Unlimited Reach - an unlimited number of students worldwide can study and receive college credit without any barriers of scaling up.
- Eliminates Barriers to Admission - students can study and earn credit, sidestepping the process of applications, application fees and transcript requests.
How it Works
Students enroll as a verified student on edX.org in a course that Charter Oak State College has reviewed and approved for credit. Students then take the course through the edX.org platform. Students have the ability to check at anytime as they progress through the course whether they have met the requirements for credit. Once credit eligibility has been attained, a message appears on the student's dashboard and they are sent an email. Students can then complete the request for credit from Charter Oak and fee payment on the edX site. Finally students confirm their credit request with Charter Oak State College. Students will then have credit on a Charter Oak State College transcript that can be used to meet continuing education, professional certification or degree requirements at other institutions or at Charter Oak State College.
About Charter Oak State College
Founded in 1973, Charter Oak State College (www.CharterOak.edu) is Connecticut's only public online college, offering associate and bachelor's degree completion programs in high-demand fields including Health Information Management, Health Care Administration, Cyber Security, Business Administration, Public Safety and Information Systems. Charter Oak students complete degrees through online courses and alternative approaches to earning credit. Charter Oak is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and governed by Connecticut's Board of Regents for Higher Education.