Online Learning Update

Coursera Inc., a Silicon Valley startup that has provided millions of students free online access to hundreds of brand-name college courses, named former Yale University President Rick Levin to be its new CEO. The appointment signals a renewed bid for credibility and profitability for a sector of higher education known as Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs. The appointment could represent a doubling down on Coursera’s bid to win accreditation for its courses, a step which would open up the door to significantly more revenue, said Ray Schroeder, the associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of Illinois Springfield.