Alternative Credentials

Florida lawmakers want to boost MOOCs and upend the traditional quality control system by letting state officials demand that public colleges grant credit for courses offered by unaccredited institutions.

Coursera, which made a name for itself offering free courses from elite universities, begins to make money.

Stanford University, birthplace of two MOOC companies, decides to work with a nonprofit started by MIT and Harvard.

Academic senates of California's three higher ed systems all now oppose plan to deal with overcrowding by outsourcing instruction and forcing colleges to award credit for programs that may be unaccredited and for-profit.

Many state universities and small liberal arts colleges that want to partner with Coursera may not want to wait by the phone.

At U. of California Santa Cruz, faculty leaders charge that Coursera's deals with instructors endanger hard won intellectual property rights.

As details emerge for plan to outsource some courses, idea attracts considerable interest and considerable faculty scrutiny.

California lawmaker wants MOOCs and other online providers to help meet student demand, and will encourage -- and some fear force -- public colleges to accept those credits.