Challenge | How are Internet connectedness and open access materials changing the way in which students learn about psychology and achieve their learning goals?

Process | We explored ways to connect experts in the fields of psychology and online education to create a diverse community of learners from around the globe.

Design | By providing video lectures and assessments through Coursera and interactive supplementary materials through CMU’s Open Learning Initiative, Introduction to Psychology as a Science allowed anyone with an Internet connection to learn content typically reserved for tuition-paying students.

Outcome | Forty-thousand students accessed the content for free and some worked toward a certificate for a nominal fee, which could result in college credit. I hypothesized that students participated for many different reasons based on their personal goals.

This project was funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and managed by the Center for 21st Century Universities in 2013.
Principle Investigator: Dr Paul MA Baker
Instructor: Dr Anderson D. Smith
Project Coordinator: Keith R Bujak