Looking for a good long read this weekend? This New Yorker article fits the bill. Written by Nathan Heller, the piece introduces readers to the concept of MOOCs, particularly as they relate to storied educational institutions such as Harvard, Stanford and MIT.
Regular readers of Aspire will find a number of familiar references (Amherst, San Jose State, edX and more), but as an introduction to the situation as it unfolds, Heller’s piece is a very helpful contextual (and comprehensive) summary.
And if you have a few more minutes, follow up the New Yorker article with this post by Northeastern CPS’s Kevin Bell on whether the original idea behind MOOCs has been hijacked and Peter Stokes’s post on the crossroads being faced by MOOCs and free online education.
Illustration by Leo Espinosa.
