Do you Yale?

I know, it’s a short order to fill. But now anyone can participate and get a taste of one of the Ivies in their own office, bedroom, kitchen, or … toilet even. I don’t care, and I don’t want to know. But if you have an Internet connection you can go to class. For free.

So Yale University is joining the online frenzy with the aid of a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Over an 18 month trial session, these partners will provide offerings from 8 core courses, completely free to the public. Poetry, philosophy, psychology, religion – the works.

While these courses won’t earn you any credits, it’s a relatively unprecedented move for such a prestigious school (or any school, for that matter) to provide audio, video, transcripts in multiple languages, syllabi, etc, to the world at large. I’d say this is a great step towards open education, whether it earns a spot on your CV or not.