http://academicearth.org/
Rethink Education
Academic Earth was launched on the premise that everyone deserves
access to a world-class education. In 2009, we built the first collection of
free online college courses from the world’s top universities. The world of
open education has exploded since then, so today our curated lists of online
courses are hand selected by our staff to show you the very best offerings by
subject area. We also make sure there is something for everyone: whether you
want to explore a new topic or advance in your current field, we bring the
amazing world of academia to you for free.
Academic Earth believes that everyone has the right to a world-class education. Recognizing the existing barriers in academia, we continue our efforts to curate an unparalleled collection of free online courses from the world’s top universities. Moving forward, we honor the egalitarian spirit of Academic Earth’s founders as we develop a platform to facilitate the global sharing of ideas, both inside and outside the classroom.
In addition to our comprehensive collection of free online college courses, Academic Earth features an ongoing series of original videos. These videos tap into our belief that a great deal of learning happens outside the classroom in those unstructured moments when provocative questions are raised, debated, and sometimes answered. We embrace intellectual curiosity and encourage the Academic Earth community to share our videos to launch their own discussions. After all, only through questioning the world around us, can we come to better understand it.
HISTORY
In 2008, Richard Ludlow, Chris Bruner, and Liam Pisano, founded Academic Earth with the mission of giving everyone on earth access to a world-class education. Backed by an angel investor group, including four Yale professors, Honest Tea founder Barry Nalebuff, and Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Yergin, Academic Earth stood instrumental in the online learning revolution.
Recognizing the critical role of the Internet in supporting their mission, the founders set out to develop an interactive web-based platform for users to actively engage with free online education resources from the world’s top universities. The site continues to evolve in response to rapidly changing educational technology.
In 2012, Academic Earth was acquired by CMN.com, a leader in consumer driven-content strategy with a strong online presence in higher education. Under the new ownership, Academic Earth gains the expertise and resources invaluable to refining its learning platform while better connecting users with premier, web-based educational content.
Academic Earth holds true to its original mission of giving everyone access to a world-class education.
Academic Earth is headquartered in Houston, TX.
MEET OUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, STEPHANIE SNIDER
A bona fide information junkie, Stephanie knows a little about a lot and a lot about a little, but will never claim to know it all…not usually. After all, her mom taught her, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” (Thanks, Socrates) To this day, from politics to pop culture, she loves asking questions and looking for answers.
Stephanie’s passion for learning took her on a winding path that eventually led to Academic Earth. In 2000, she graduated from the University of Washington. With English degree in hand, she stepped into the insurance and investment world. Knowing her heart would never belong to Wall Street, she returned to the UW, earning a Masters in Architecture in 2009. But, with the ink still wet on her diploma, she found herself at the mercy of the financial crisis.
Again, her mom’s sage words came to mind, “The difference between a crisis and an adventure is all in your attitude.” She chose adventure. Skip ahead two years. Stephanie worked in design, became a mom, and started a small business. Today, she brings her tenacity and love of learning to Academic Earth, and is thrilled to help usher this online community into the future.
In her “free time,” she and her husband chase after their toddler, who proves that perpetual motion is possible. And, on any given weekend, they can be found wandering the aisles of record stores, introducing their little one to the finer points of vintage vinyl. Connect with Stephanie on Google Plus.
No comments:
Post a Comment