The arts are taking a back seat to career-focused
degrees on many campuses. A new online learning platform is trying to remedy
that by offering an affordable way for students to fulfill their first-year
requirements.
Kadenze was launched in June with 22 art courses from leading colleges and
universities, such as Princeton, Stanford, and UCLA. Seven of the schools
participating in the program are even offering college credit for completed
Kadenze courses for as little as $300, depending on the number of units.
“We’re really trying to build that first-year
experience where students can learn the key assets for their particular field
and then apply to college, maybe with a semester done,” Kadenze CEO Ajay Kapur
told eCampus News.
“Our goal is not to replace the university; it’s to get people prepared for it
while also reducing the costs.”
Kadenze also hopes to attract lifelong learners by
allowing anyone to audit courses for free. In addition, for a nominal monthly membership
fee, students can participate in as many courses as they want and earn official
verification for completed courses.
The platform was built with an emphasis on
collaboration, peer and algorithm-based assessment, and high production values.
Each course provides students with a gallery in which to share their work and
have it assessed by other students. The algorithm-based assessment tools were
designed specifically for an arts education.
“A student can submit a piece of music, for example,
and our software is able to actually listen to the music and provide feedback,”
Kapur said.
“I really want to mentor the students, not just present
information to them. I could put up YouTube videos if that was the only goal,”
added Jay LeBoeuf, a Stanford lecturer who is teaching a Kadenze course. “The
aim is to have a really immersive environment where students are asking
questions in the forum and submitting their assignments. That way, students can
make comments on those assignments and see how other students are thinking.”
