MOOCs: Coursera Launches Fee-Based Service To Certify Completion of a Course

From VentureBeat:

Online education supernova Coursera just announced that it will offer students verified certificates of completion of some of its courses. The identities of students will be verified throughout the course using photographs of themselves and a photo ID taken with a webcam. Students will also create a biometric profile of their unique typing pattern by typing a short phrase that will be used to authenticate work submitted. The company will charge a fee of between $30 and $100 for certificates depending on the course (Coursera’s courses are free), and certificates will not count towards college credit. Students who cannot pay for certificates can apply for financial assistance.
The article lists courses from U. of California, San Francisco, Duke, Georgia Tech, and the U. of Illinois that already offer a certification option.
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Now in business for a year, the site has 2.2 million students…and offers 213 courses from 33 top universities.

Much More in the Complete Article
On a Related Note (MOOCs and Fees): eCornell Offers a MOOC That Steers Students to a Paid Follow-Up (via Wired Campus)

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