Smart List: 25 HigherEd Innovators

Getting Smart is acknowledging people and organizations making a difference with the 3rd Annual Smart Lists. During October and November you’ll see about 20 ‘Best of’ lists, not in order, not exhaustive, just people we appreciate doing innovative work.

Today we’re recognizing platforms, programs and organizations leading the effort in making college possible for all students.

Platforms

• Motivis: Competency-based spinout from SNHU (see feature)
• Coursera: 1500 courses from 133 top universities *
• edX: 4 million students, 500 courses
• Udacity: 160,000 students in more than 190 countries
• Canvas by Instructure: LMS and open courses on Canvas.net # (see feature)
• Echo360: Active learning
• Fidelis education: Relationship management
• DreamDegree: New mobile platform from Significant Technologies (see feature)

Innovators

• Minerva: Next-gen university for the world’s brightest students
• Olin College: A new kind of engineering education
• Arizona State: The most innovative public university

Low-Cost & Competency-Based

• Western Governors University: Pioneers in competency-based credits
• StraighterLine: Affordable gen-ed courses
• SNHU and College for America: Online and competency-based innovators
• Degreed: Credit for what you know and can do
• TEACH-NOW: Masters in teaching from Educatore School of Education (see feature)

Program Management

• American Honors: Affordable path to brand name degree for low income students
• Embanet & Propero: Pearson’s online and low cost gen-ed solution
• 2U: Supporting innovative brand name graduate programs
• Bisk: Taking higher education online

Support Orgs

• Educause: The HigherEd EdTech folks & host of Next-Gen Learning Challenges
• Lumina: Redesigning higher education
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Supporting talented low income students
• Entangled Solutions: Paul Freedman and Michael Horn’s new consulting shop
• Civitas Learning: Data and design

This Smart List was published in partnership with Getting Smart Services. Getting Smart provides advocacy, advisory, consulting and public relations services to turn ideas into impact. We help for-profit and non-profit organizations construct cohesive and forward-thinking strategies for branding, awareness, advancement and communications.

* Learn Capital Partner, # Getting Smart Partner, ** Board member or Advisor

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