UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Through the Big Ten course sharing initiative, which launched in fall 2020 and will continue in spring 2021, Penn State students can take one online course each semester at another participating Big Ten institution at no additional cost.
The Big Ten Academic Alliance Online Course Sharing Program is designed to enhance the educational opportunities for students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In some ways the pandemic has made our lives smaller, but Penn State and our Big Ten peers are finding creative ways to expand our students’ horizons despite present challenges,” said Nick Jones, Penn State executive vice president and provost. “Through this initiative, Penn State students can learn from some of the brightest minds from across the Big Ten, and students at our peer institutions can learn from Penn State’s world-class faculty.”
Courses are available on a wide range of topics, such as “The Biology of Hope and Belief” at Ohio State, “Literature of Place — Literary Nebraska” at the University of Nebraska, “Social Media for the Arts” at Rutgers, and “Slavery in the Twenty-First Century: Combatting Human Trafficking” at the University of Maryland, to name just a few offerings.
In addition to Penn State, the following Big Ten institutions are participating in the initiative:
- Indiana University
- University of Maryland
- Michigan State University
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Ohio State University
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Penn State students can find more information on how to participate at https://btcsi.psu.edu/. Students can view available courses and access information on how to apply at www.btaa.org.
About the Big Ten Academic Alliance
The Big Ten Academic Alliance is the nation’s preeminent model for effective collaboration among research universities. For more than half a century, these world-class institutions have advanced their academic missions, generated unique opportunities for students and faculty, and served the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and collaborating on innovative programs. Governed and funded by the provosts of the member universities, Big Ten Academic Alliance mandates are coordinated by a staff from its Champaign, Illinois, headquarters.