According to an email from 2U spokesperson Caitlin Kanaly, Wesleyan and edX are working closely together to build courses “in subjects that are timely, relevant and a reflection of Wesleyan's top-ranked liberal arts education.” While additional details on the courses themselves remained pending as of Wednesday, she said the edX courses will be held fully online and “free to try for all learners.”
Wesleyan President Michael Roth said in a public statement that the partnership aims to expand the university’s online course offerings to over 46 million additional learners around the world taking classes on edX.
"Wesleyan has long been a champion of educational innovation. We believe in expanding access to education by sharing versions of our classes with the wider world," Roth said.
According to the announcement, the university “moved aggressively” to reach learners beyond its campus in Middletown, Conn., and make online courses available to learners across the globe. It noted that Wesleyan faculty teach students globally through the open online course platform Coursera, including MOOCs in creative writing, the humanities, film and math.
The announcement comes as universities and colleges across the U.S. continue to expand their online course catalogs to meet a growing demand among students for flexible remote learning options, which has steadily increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Wesleyan and edX are mission-aligned with the goal of making the world's best education available to everyone," Andrew Hermalyn, president of partnerships at edX, said in the news release. "We look forward to collaborating with the university to create accessible, affordable courses that integrate Wesleyan's distinctive approach for blending disciplines together in a unique way."
