RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- About a month after its president briefly was fired in part for her perceived hesitation to embrace online education, the University of Virginia plans to offer free courses online to the masses.
Online platform Coursera said Tuesday that U.Va. is among 12 institutions that plan to offer online courses for free under its Internet-based learning system. U.Va. said the agreement had been in the works for several months.
President Teresa Sullivan said in a statement that the online classes will expand the Charlottesville school's role in global education while reinforcing its core mission of teaching, research and public service.
Online higher-ed delivery was among topics that arose during Sullivan's ouster and subsequent reinstatement.
Coursera's first four partner institutions were Princeton, University of Michigan, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania.
AP-WF-07-17-12 0708GMT
