Co-Branded Distance Learning

The New York Times announced a major push into higher education with distance learning courses provided by six initial partner universities. The new venture, the New York Times Knowledge Network, will provide technology and marketing for courses taught by college and university professors. Funds from the tuition revenue will be split, with the price formula varying, between the college and the Times. Course topics and approaches vary from a seminar on the art and craft of film offered by Mount Holyoke College to a self-paced project management course by Towson University. Professors can make customized web pages with their own content alongside content from the Times, such as interactive maps, video, audio, and graphs. For example, Mount Holyoke's film course will feature an interview between the instructor and New York Times film critic A.O. Scott. In addition, courses will have full access to the services of Epsilen, a company that offers blogs, electronic portfolios, and interactive teaching tools. When I think about the Times archives, I realize this could be an incredible resource for teaching. More interestingly, though, is how the archives could be cross-referenced to enrich learning and research.