In a novel move, University of Texas System is planning to put up $5 million to join online education platform and Coursera's rival edX following the footsteps of University of Califronia- Berkeley, which recently became a partner at edX.
When obtaining a college degree is slowly becoming a luxury, the University of Texas system is joining edX to meet the demand for low-cost education, reports Bloomberg.
As of now, the edX courses are offered for free of cost, similar to Coursera, a venture by former Stanford Professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller.
Yet, a 'modest fee' will be charged for those who wish to receive certificates for completing a course in the future, according to a statement on the EdX website.
The system based in Austin, oversees more than half a dozen universities, has now joined the online platform which will offer Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC's) to anyone who has an Internet connection and desire to learn.
The Public-funded Texas universities have long been encouraged by Governor Rick Perry to cut the cost of college education.
"To meet the growing demand for higher education in Texas, we must give our students affordable and predictable options, and reduce the debt that they carry with them as they start their careers," Perry wrote in a newspaper article posted on his website last week.
He has also urged the state universities to offer undergraduate courses for $10,000 and to freeze tuition levels for four years for each incoming class.
The soaring college debt rate among students is worrying as federal and state funds are slowly declining and the universities are facing fiscal deficit. Hence, the development is paving way for the online education to boom as it is hailed for its affordable and flexible approach.
The shift to online college-credit courses is occurring three to five years faster than expected because of demand from students and universities, said Anant Agarwal, president of Cambridge-based EdX and an MIT professor.
Though many worry about the downfall of traditional academia due to MOOC's, it is highly unlikely, as students still prefer the classroom experience over the computer based learning any day.
