Free online education, part of online push at TRU

KAMLOOPS – University sure isn't how it used to be. University students circa 2013 may listen to lectures from home in their pyjamas, register, pay and check their grades from one www.location, and may never actually come face-to-face with their actual professors.

TRU recently launched it's online MBA program and TRU's Open Learning online course enrolment continues to be an increasingly popular option over fighting for a parking stall on campus. Class sizes are growing at TRU, and teachers are exploring ways to engage students online using classic tools like Moodle, but also with social media and even YouTube.

Online news, online doctors, online education — the online trend is nothing new. However, the most recent online initiative at TRU is a bit different; it makes education more accessible to everyone.

TRU launched Open Educational Resource university (OERu) last week, an online platform where students can learn with others online for free from all around the world. TRU is a founding partner in the collaboration between 26 post-secondary institutions internationally beginning  in 2010. The partners have created the open resources and assessments for online students.

OERs and MOOCs (massive open online courses) are a growing trend in post-secondary education. Anyone can sign up for courses — usually introductory level ones — and it's free for those who really just want to learn the course content.

For those who intend to graduate, you can pay a fee and be assessed to earn academic credit.

Find out more by visiting OERu online.

To contact a reporter for this story, email: jwallace@infotelnews.ca, call: (250) 319-7494 or tweet: @jess__wallace.