No argument there....I was just surprised that Yale offered anything online that gives college credit. Looks like, slowly but surely, online learning is finally making its way to the "big dawgs" lol
Yale has been offering online summer courses for credit since 2011, so this isn't a particularly new development. Just don't expect to apply those credits towards a Yale degree, unless you have been admitted as a regular Yale student.
I've not taken an online class through Yale, but I have through Harvard. One thing about Harvard, I have noticed they are getting MUCH BETTER at teaching via distance learning.... if I tried Yale, I might wait a few years. They've only been doing this since 2011 or 12.
I actually had the opportunity to exchange a few emails with the Dean of the Harvard Extension School (Huntington Lambert) and he mentioned that they are (slowly) moving forward with changes to the school (he said Harvard School of Professional Studies is the front runner) and they are going to be making several of their campus classes available online to increase their online learning options. He also mentioned that they *may* be doing away with AA degrees because the general opinion is that it takes away from the prestige and practicality of the Harvard brand. He also said that AA students pay the same rate as AB students, and that very few students actually get AA degrees from Harvard since it's cheaper and more practical to get it from community colleges. He also mentioned that many of their courses are being revamped to reflect current educational trends and needs, and finally, they are going to be tightening the admissions process for the degree programs. He said it will not reflect the selectivity of Harvard College or the other schools within the university, but he feels that more selectivity would allow those who are truly serious and dedicated to earning a Harvard degree to stand out and shine as Harvard graduates. He said that while these changes will likely take a while (he said most changes within Harvard usually do because they are so entrenched in tradition that they are often loathe to shake things up), they have been in the works since he took his position as Dean last year (June 2013). He said because of this, more Harvard professors are excited to teach the HES students, and he is trying to get to 90% Harvard professors teaching the courses. I think the fact that more of the top tier and ivy league universities are getting into the DL game has forced Harvard to sit up and take notice. If you have the time and money and care about such things, you can get Yale classes online, taught by Yale professors, for Yale credit. I think Harvard is starting to see that they need to step it up to compete. Once you start looking at schools like Harvard and Yale, I don't think someone would be upset at a Yale course or certificate vs a Harvard one if they could have the same Yale quality as the campus students vs a Harvard class taught by some other professor. It's good to see that Harvard is stepping up its game. It's making me seriously consider a HES degree now. SERIOUSLY consider it.
Harvard Extension is more than 100 years old, they are hardly new to alternative education. They were using WGBH to deliver courses when TV was still black and white. They took education to the navy in the 60's. I agree with most of what you said, interesting tidbits. But the extension school is already legitimate, there is a residency requirement, a significant number of classes must be taken with Harvard professors.
Oh, I agree it's legit. Never said it wasn't. But I think there's always room for improvement. Harvard didn't have any real need to change anything because they were the only ivy league cats in the game for a long time. Now they aren't, and to stay more current with todays needs, they have to improve the way they do things. Not that they were bad to begin with, but as I said, there's always room for improvement somewhere.
According to College Navigator, Harvard issued a total of 7,382 degrees and postgraduate certificates in 2011-12. Of those, 9 were AA degrees. That's about 0.1 % of the total. So maybe he has a point.
Thank you, that's exactly what I was going to say. In addition, selectivity is the absolute opposite MISSION of the extension college. I don't think Harvard has to step up to anything, they are clearly in front and have been since day 1. Our History Harvard Extension School was founded in 1909 by Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell, who believed that Harvard University should provide high-quality education to motivated, intelligent individuals whose life circumstances might prevent them from attending a traditional college. Today his vision lives on through open-enrollment courses and degree and certificate programs, which attract students of all ages around the world. We continue to offer opportunities to learn, both online and on campus, about a broad range of subjects. Find out more about this historic Harvard tradition. You can also view a complete list of Extension School degree and certificate offerings from 1911-present. LINK http://harvard.intelliresponse.com/extension/index.jsp
There's just one problem: very few people fit that description. That's why nobody here at degreeinfo has ever taken a Yale online course (as far as I can tell from searching), even though Yale has made online courses available for several years. For most people, it just doesn't make sense to spend over $3000 for a single Yale course that cannot be applied towards a Yale degree. Sure, you might be able to transfer it into another degree program -- but in that case, there are much more cost-effective ways to get transfer credit. Now maybe Yale Summer Online does make sense if you are a regular B&M student at Yale, and want to take a supplemental class or two during the summer. In that case, you are either wealthy, or you get financial aid from Yale, so maybe the cost is not an issue. And a regular Yale student *can* apply Yale online credits towards a Yale degree. So my guess would be that most Yale online students are also Yale B&M students. Harvard Extension is a completely different ball game. The cost is much lower, and you can actually earn a Harvard degree that way. It's not for everyone, because it does require some residency in Cambridge. But it does makes sense for lots of people (including many degreeinfo participants). It's great that Harvard Extension is moving forward. But it's not because they are facing serious online competition from Yale, or from anyone else for that matter. Harvard Extension is pretty much unique.
