Notes from the Vice Provost: ASU & edX Global Freshman Academy

April 23, 2015

Colleagues,

Arizona State University (ASU) and edX just launched the Global Freshman Academy, a competency-based online learning program designed to help learners earn freshman-level university credit from ASU.

  • Composed of 12 courses, the Academy provides an additional path to enter ASU by earning credit (even completing the full freshman year) and by potentially transferring ASU credits to other institutions.
  • In keeping with edX’s commitment to open online learning, learners can register for and participate in the courses as they would any other edX course.
  • Those pursuing the verified-ID track and who pass the final exam will have the option of paying a fee for ASU credit (likely around $600) upon completion.

​Through the partnership with edX, ASU expects to reach a wider, global audience for their already robust online efforts. The first course will launch in August of 2015, with others to follow in the coming two years. 

The Academy is an extension of edX’s portfolio revenue strategy, also including ID-verified certificates, professional education courses, and AP-style courses for high-school students. 

HarvardX/Harvard has no current plans to offer any online courses for credit through edX. Via edX and Harvard's Online Learning Portal, we let participants know when a HarvardX open course is also being offered for credit via Extension, and, through targeted emails, inform HarvardX learners about related learning opportunities like HBX and HSPH’s new hybrid MPH degree. 

We continue to focus our own efforts on supporting faculty innovation and experimentation in teaching (with an increasing emphasis towards on-campus reuse), expanding the reach of our scholarship to global learners and teachers, and advancing educational research. 

Best,

Peter Bol
Vice Provost for Advances in Learning
Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations