MOOCs : NPR

Is Anti-Gravity Possible? Brian Greene's WSU Has The Answer

Master science communicator Brian Greene shares the spotlight with Muppet scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew ahead of the 2008 World Science Festival in New York City. Scott Gries/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Scott Gries/Getty Images

Opinion

Is Anti-Gravity Possible? Brian Greene's WSU Has The Answer

April 6, 2014 • Popular physicist Brian Greene just opened the virtual doors to his World Science U, a resource for those who want to know more. Commentator Adam Frank says it's worth the trip.

School's Out For Online Students In 'State Sponsors Of Terrorism'

Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, Stanford University computer science professors who started Coursera, pose for a photo at the Coursera office in Mountain View, Calif., on Aug. 2, 2012. Jeff Chiu/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Jeff Chiu/AP

The Two-Way

School's Out For Online Students In 'State Sponsors Of Terrorism'

January 31, 2014 • Students in Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria — countries under U.S. trade and economic sanctions — were blocked from accessing material on Coursera this week. The company, one of the largest providers of massive open online courses, says it's working with the U.S. government on a resolution.

Sometimes, The Old Ways Are The Best Ways

There's a symphony going on in there. Pay close enough attention in Adam Frank's class and you'll be able to read the notes yourself. SOHO/ESA/NASA hide caption

toggle caption

SOHO/ESA/NASA

Opinion

Sometimes, The Old Ways Are The Best Ways

September 3, 2013 • Astrophysicist Adam Frank rings in the new school year with a meditation on the choice between kicking it old school with chalk on a blackboard or going new school with the latest classroom technologies.

Online College Courses Get A Big Boost, But Doubts Persist

The University of Tennessee became one of 10 state university systems teaming up with Coursera, a for-profit tech company. Flickr Creative Commons hide caption

toggle caption

Flickr Creative Commons

All Tech Considered

Online College Courses Get A Big Boost, But Doubts Persist

May 30, 2013 • Degree-granting institutions are responding to austere budgets by catapulting themselves into the world of online education. But some professors point to low online completion rates as evidence that these "massive open online courses" do a disservice to students.