User:Hollymer/World education university

World Education University (WEU), pronounced We-You, is an education technology company offering free online diploma, certificate and accredited degree programs anytime and anywhere. Located in Rancho Mirage, CA, it is currently finishing its Pinpoint Adaptive Learning SystemTM and has acquired two online colleges. Initial launch will be October 2012.

Students begin their WEU learning journey by taking a proprietary personality test that measures the cognitive learning style of each student. This serves as the basis for information and content presentation to each student. Courses are self-paced and allow learners to progress through programs based on the skills achieved and competencies mastered. These mastered competencies equal course proficiency or credentialing and over time these credentials translate into diplomas and degrees.

History
Online university courses have been offered since early 2000. “Fathom” developed by Columbia University failed in 2003. AllLearn, a consortium of Stanford, Yale and Oxford failed in 2006 despite offering 110 high-quality enrichment courses for modest fees to over 10,000 participants from seventy countries.

Currently, online education offerings can be found at the for-profit Udacity, which launched a course mirroring the Stanford AI course in the fall of 2011. Coursera, a similar VC-backed commercial venture launched shortly after Udacity. edX, a joint venture between Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley offers university-level courses at no charge. This follows the model of non-certificate-granting programs such as Khan Academy, MIT OCW (Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s OpenCourseWare), and CMU OLI (Carnegie-Mellon University’s Open Learning Initiative).

Business plan
WEU is leveraging its fully functional legacy LMS which is currently operating with a student body of nearly 1,000 students.

The University generates revenue from variety of monetization strategies that capitalize on high volume website traffic. Some of these strategies will be implemented immediately, and others are planned for future releases of the Pinpoint Adaptive Learning SystemTM. Some of these monetization strategies include: Online Advertising, Corporate Sponsorships, Fee Based Tutoring, Premium Content, E-Commerce, E-Publishing, Consumer Surveys, and Gaming.

Professors who develop courses used by the University will be compensated from the advertising revenue generated from that site.

The software and courses are geared for tablet study; it is planned to take these tablets to the international market.

Advisors
Legal: Larry Sonsini, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, Palo Alto, CA.

Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul"

Courses
Over 15 undergraduate and graduate degree, certificate and professional development programs and more than 200 other courses are part of the initial offering. Ultimately, the University will offer one of the largest online programs available in the world, in some cases customizing programs based on the workforce needs of foreign countries. Programs span multiple disciplines.

External links and further reading

 * The World Education University – official site
 * "Barriers to Adoption of Online Learning Systems in U.S. Higher Education" study by Lawrence S. Bacow, William G. Bowen, Kevin M. Guthrie, Kelly A. Lack, Matthew P. Long published by Ithaka S+R May 1, 2012 This study coins the term "“Interactive Learning Online” or ILO.
 * "The X Factor" Brainstorm blog post by Kevin Carey Chronicle of Higher Education
 * article by Terry M. Moe, “The End of the Teachers Unions”, Hoover Institution
 * Khan Academy
 * Udacity [www.udacity.com]
 * edX Online[edxonline.org]
 * Coursera
 * Cheaper than Harvard
 * Manufacturing industry taps colleges
 * Mr. Robot your new guidance councelor