In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and developed by lead researchers at the University of Washington, which included Scott Freeman, Mary Wenderoth, Sarah Eddy, Miles McDonough, Nnadozie Okoroafor, Hannah Jordt, and Michelle Smith, findings about STEM courses utilizing the active learning model illustrated higher pass rates than courses using a traditional lecture model.
The Stanford School of Engineering has begun to offer online classes free of charge to anyone around the world. The program is called Stanford Engineering Everywhere (SEE), and currently offers 13 different courses in the topics of computer science, artificial intelligence, linear systems and optimization, and miscellaneous engineering topics.
Students of SEE’s open courses have access to class lectures, syllabi, handouts, assignments, exams, and software. Additionally, SEE students can communicate with each other online, allowing collaboration for understanding.
It’s great to see Stanford contributing to the open course world. SEE is definitely something to keep an eye on.