Outlier.org's new three-hour course on preparing for college will be widely distributed by a network ... [+]
Outlier.org, a leading online education platform, announced this week that it is partnering with several organizations to offer College Success, a free online course designed to help students understand and prepare for going to college. The goal is to help increase college attendance and success, particularly for first-generation-to-college students.
The three-hour course, which is available without charge to anyone with an internet connection, combines video lectures and interactive learning to cover a wide range of topics, including financial planning, time management, study skills, procrastination, and the so-called “hidden curriculum of college.” And it also engages prospective students in an analysis of whether going to college is the right choice for them, or if some other pathway might be a better option.
The College Success course is suitable for a broad audience, including high school students, beginning college students, adults returning to college, first-generation students, or anyone who wants to learn about the curricular requirements and other expectations of college.
The instructors include Dr. Amy Baldwin, a professor at the University of Central Arkansas and author of the CollegeSuccess by OpenStax textbook, DePaul University's Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope and productivity expert Chris Bailey.
To maximize the impact of the initiative, Outlier.org is partnering with several other companies and organizations to distribute the course widely.
- Amazon will include the course as a part of its Career Choice benefit, which is available to all eligible hourly U.S. employees, now numbering about 750,000.
- It will be available at the Google Play Store app and the Chromebook Perks page.
- The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) will hand out College Success to its more than 25,000 admission and counseling professionals.
- In addition, Outlier.org is working with several other organizations to help make the course available to as many students as possible. This group, termed the College Success Network, includes Niche, OpenStax, Jobs for the Future, Big Picture Learning and upGrad as initial partners.
In a news release, Aaron Rasmussen, Founder and CEO of Outlier.org, said "As a student from a low-income background myself, I remember well the struggles of juggling coursework, financial aid, work-study, and a new setting. College Success provides the resources I wish I had before starting my college journey. We hope that the course improves the college experience for students of all backgrounds and helps them feel prepared and excited for the years ahead."
"Having spent over a decade working to increase access to higher education, I've seen again and again how necessary it is for students to have a resource like Outlier.org's College Success," added Dr. Baldwin, the course’s lead instructor.
"Students face extraordinary challenges when they enroll in higher education," said Dr. Angel Pérez, NACAC’s CEO. "College Success will help students learn the hidden curriculum of college and remove barriers they so often face. I'm thrilled to share this course with as many of our admission and counseling professionals as possible. A free course like this is a great service to students worldwide."
Outlier.org promises more content will be added to the first installment of College Success. Future topics will include physical and emotional health, cognition and how to build study habits and communication skills. More information about College Success can be found at www.outlier.org/products/college-success.
