Stanford Takes Landmark Step in Online Learning - Palo Alto, CA Patch

“Stanford University today announced the creation of an Office of the Vice Provost for Online Learning, a landmark step in its commitment to bring new teaching and learning methods to Stanford students – and to students around the world – in response to the requirements and potential of the 21st century.  The first vice provost of the office will be computer scientist John Mitchell, the Mary and Gordon Crary Family Professor in the School of Engineering.  ‘Stanford has been at the forefront of this game-changing, challenging initiative,’ Hennessy said in announcing Mitchell's appointment.  ‘Our faculty have been working in online education for some time now, and their excitement is growing. This is a field that deserves increasing attention and investment, and the new Office of the Vice Provost is in keeping with Stanford's tradition of leadership in innovation and experimentation...’  The creation of the Office of the Vice Provost for Online Learning (VPOL) ... signals both a restructuring of the university and its dedication to ensuring pedagogical agility and rigor in the face of global, economic and social transformations.  Provost John Etchemendy ... pointed to the dual possibilities inherent in online learning. ‘Our primary mission is to teach Stanford students,’ he said, ‘but it is also the university's mission to disseminate knowledge widely, through textbooks, scholarly publications and so forth. Technology provides ways to both improve our existing classes and to extend our reach. By using technology creatively, we can tap the tremendous teaching talent we have on campus to offer new learning opportunities to millions of people, both in the United States and around the world.’  During the coming academic year, Stanford Online will focus on involving faculty in new teaching and learning methods; supporting course production and online delivery; and continuing a seed grant program that began last spring... VPOL will enable the university essentially to become a laboratory of learning for the benefit of teachers everywhere, by providing leadership and information as the online education movement develops.  Stanford Online comprises courses taught by Stanford faculty, software designed by and for Stanford faculty, a new website offering resources and community to those involved in online learning, and the seed grants... Faculty members have stepped up to the challenge. Around 15 courses will be offered online in fall quarter by Stanford faculty, covering engineering, mathematics, social science, education and entrepreneurship, and many more are lined up for winter and spring. The deans of the schools of Medicine, Engineering and Business have appointed faculty members to spearhead online learning at their respective schools, and assigned resources to encourage experimentation among students and faculty... Mitchell said... ‘We'll see some great learning material from the School of Medicine that can help improve health for everyone. While all the departments and schools have their own approaches, we're all one university working together to leverage web platforms, video technology, social networking, simulation and other tools to improve education for everyone.’  Stanford classes on Coursera ...  have been extraordinarily successful over the past year, attracting hundreds of thousands of students around the globe.  Two other software platforms have arisen on campus in recent months: Class2Go, a nonprofit, open-source project designed by a team of engineers at the Department of Computer Science; and Venture Lab, designed by Amin Saberi, associate professor of management science and engineering.  All these platforms have unique features appealing to the needs and practices of professors in different fields. They can be adapted for massive open online courses (MOOCs), courses aimed only at Stanford students or a combination of the two.  The Stanford Online website, whose redesign will be launched Sept. 21, will enable students to find courses, faculty to find assistance and inspiration, and anyone interested in educational innovation to follow the developments...”