[Wikiversity-l] free online degrees?

[Joseph Wang]

I have a non-profit GPL database of distance learning courses at 
http://www.gnacademy.org/ and I'd really like to integrate that data with 
wikiversity.  The Globewide Network Academy is the result of a previous 
effort to start an online university and I think there are a lot of lessons 
we learned in the 1990's that would be useful for wikiversity-l.

There are already a lot of places that already can grant degrees online.  Some 
of them such as Charter Oak, Thomas Edison State College, and Excelsior 
College give academic credit for prior learning and it wouldn't be difficult 
to structure wikiversity learning experience that can get converted to 
academic credit.  Combine accreditation from TESC with MIT open courseware 
and social networks provided by wikiversity, and it seems pretty 
straightforward to come up with an accreditted degree program.  Part of what 
I've been doing is to try to create a degree plan for physics, but 
unfortunately I haven't had time to contact anyone at TESC, Charter Oak, or 
Excelsior.

The other thing that I'd like to see is a market place for tutors.  Right now 
University of Phoenix hires adjunct faculty to work at extremely low pay, 
with most of the money going to the university.  What I'd like to see is a 
marketplace where teachers and students can interact directly, this would 
allow people who now have to teach at University of Phoenix to deal directly 
with students with some huge cost savings.

The idea that I'd like to present is one of an "academic ecosystem" in which 
there are a lot of institutions each contributing one part to the academic 
experience.





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Joseph Wang Ph.D. - joe at gnacademy.org  
China Derivatives Researcher and Software Developer - QuantLib
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/User:Roadrunner