University System of Maryland Launches Partnership with EdX
Agreement Will Leverage University of Maryland University College's
Online Innovation and edX Platform To Improve Learning Outcomes; Bowie State,
Coppin State and University of Maryland Eastern Shore Become First HBCUs to
Join edX
Adelphi, Md. (July 27, 2016) -- The University System of Maryland (USM) has
entered into a groundbreaking partnership with edX (http://www.edx.org), the nonprofit online learning destination founded by
Harvard and MIT in 2012 to increase global access to high-quality education.
The agreement is designed to further increase student success, as well as the
access, affordability, and quality of higher education in Maryland and around the
world.
The new partnership brings
together a diverse university system comprising 12 institutions-including
University of Maryland University College (UMUC), a pioneer in delivering
online courses globally and developing innovative online learning models for
adult students-with edX's research to supercharge data analytics that can help improve
learning outcomes for diverse student groups.
As USM-member schools, Bowie
State University, Coppin State University and University of Maryland Eastern
Shore will become the first Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs)
to be among the ranks of edX partner universities.
"The University System of
Maryland partnership with edX draws on several strengths: UMUC's long history
of online learning delivery, the data analytics capacity of edX, and the
diversity of the USM's 12 institutions. We are committed to utilizing academic
innovation as a way to maintain quality and decrease costs," said USM
Chancellor Robert L. Caret. "This partnership is a big step in that
direction. I am especially pleased that USM's three historically black
institutions are the first to join the edX collaboration."
The USM will hold membership in
edX at the "Contributing Charter Member" level, which includes the ability to
share anonymous data edX collects for research purposes, collaborate with the
edX engineering team on Open edX platform enhancements, and course design and
development assistance.
UMUC has committed $2 million
to the USM to support the edX partnership as a strategic priority.
"UMUC's unique position as the
largest public, online university in the country, our mission as the state of
Maryland's open-access university created to serve working adults, and our
history as an early and successful adopter of online courses and programs were
key drivers in the system's pursuit of the partnership," said Javier Miyares,
UMUC's president. "We look forward to working closely with the edX team on a
number of fronts to improve access and student success."
"We are honored to welcome the University
System of Maryland to edX," said Anant Agarwal, edX CEO and MIT Professor. "An
innovator in online education, UMUC will offer high-quality education to the
global edX learning community and for credit courses that offer pathways from
MOOCs to on-campus programs and credit."
UMUC and the University of Maryland, Baltimore will initiate
the first offering under the new agreement, a free Global
Health course for health-care workers in developing countries utilizing the
edX platform (https://www.edx.org/course/global-health-lessons-ebola-usmx-gbh100x).
Partnership projects involving other USM schools are still in the preliminary
stages.
The partnership with the University System of Maryland (https://www.edx.org/school/usmx) is only the second such agreement for edX with a
state university system. EdX entered into a partnership with The University of
Texas System in 2014.
Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu
