U.S. Department of Education plans to launch open online academy

The announcement by the federal government that within the next year the U.S. Department of Education will open an online academy for the well-known MOOC online courses will take learning to the next level. Students will be able to get an education for free. Already this week, the department considered the idea of open educational resources, supporting the accessibility of learning tools.

The academy will initially use resources from public educational institutions. Also, the Department of Labor has revised its requirements for grant participants. Now those institutions that have received funding from the state are required to openly license those materials that were created with grant funds. This innovation was adopted so that other institutions can use them freely, rather than buying expensive textbooks and other materials.

But the growing opportunities for students--in terms of getting an education completely free or at very low cost--can disrupt demand for the traditional educational system. Some online programs are strong competitors to the state in the education delivery market.

The Department of Education has not yet given a timeline for the project in its blog, but as part of the plan, implementation is slated for next year.

Source: www.educationdive.com