This week the Center for 21st Century Universities blog highlights Coursera, another approach to alternative learning environments and credentialing coming out of Stanford University. Unlike Udacity, however, Coursera maintains its university affiliation.

Stanford professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller began Coursera with classes in ‘Machine Learning’ and ‘Introduction to Databases’ the same semester that Thrun offered his popular Artificial Intelligence’ class. Coursera classes are presented in a similar format as Udacity, utilizing short 10-20 minute video lectures followed by quizzes that test the learner’s mastery. Also like Udacity, students receive a certificate of completion for finishing the course—not credit toward a Stanford degree.

Since its debut at Stanford, Coursera has established partnerships with Princeton University, University of Michigan, and University of Pennsylvania, expanding its course offerings. In 2012, Coursera has so far released 30 courses. Additionally, Coursera has received $16M in funding from venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Beyer.

Unlike Coursera's previous offerings, focused on computer science courses that were graded electronically, the new courses include offerings in the social sciences such as ‘Introduction to Sociology’ and courses in the humanities such as ‘Greek and Roman Mythology’. While Ng has yet to finalize the way in which these kinds of courses will be graded, he is in the process of developing a “peer grading technology,” where students are taught to assess one another’s work according to the specifications of the instructor.

These courses open up a high-quality university curricula to the world. While the impact is still being determined, these approaches provide new access to learners from around the world. Exactly how employers will receive the credentials of completion offered by these institutions has not yet been fully explored; however, the Ivy League affiliation of this certification is not insignificant and could strengthen its credibility among employers, and impact the future role of universities.