Kaplan Higher Education Joins the Worldwide OpenCourseWare Consortium

* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Tue May 19, 2009 8:30am EDT

Kaplan University is now offering free select courses and teaching materials
online for learners across the globe
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(Business Wire)--
Kaplan Higher Education today announced that it has joined the OpenCourseWare
Consortium (OCWC), making select Kaplan University courses and teaching
materials available for free online. Through a new website, lifelong learners,
students and faculty across the world can access select Kaplan University
courses anywhere Internet access is available. Courses currently offered include
Academic Strategies for the Business Professional, Nursing Fundamentals and
Forensic Biology and Impression Evidence. 

"The excellent range of materials will not only benefit Kaplan University
students and staff, but students at other universities and members of the
general public," said Brian Ouellette, executive director of academic strategies
and development at Kaplan Higher Education. "Our ultimate goal is to share
knowledge and expertise and make Kaplan University`s approach to teaching and
learning available to anyone." 

An OpenCourseWare is a free and open digital publication of high-quality
academic material, organized as courses. The OpenCourseWare Consortium is a
collaboration of more than 200 institutions of higher education and associated
organizations from around the world, creating a body of open academic content
through a shared model. The OpenCourseWare Consortium aims to empower people
across the globe and advance education. 

"We are in the early stages of a `quiet revolution` in higher education," said
Peter Smith, senior vice president of academic strategies and development at
Kaplan Higher Education. "OCWC presents a unique opportunity for Kaplan
University to be part of a global online, `open resources` community of
educators. The research and service opportunities are enormous. Ultimately, this
work will change the way we understand learning and teaching. Kaplan University
is proud to join the other member schools of the OCWC with the goal of providing
free, high quality learning to advance public knowledge." 

With nine courses currently available, Kaplan plans to continue to increase the
number of courses available on the OCW site during 2009. Kaplan University`s
OCWC website is powered by EduCommons, an OpenCourseWare management system
designed specifically to support OpenCourseWare projects. 

"Kaplan's contribution to the growing body of OpenCourseWare is significant,"
said Stephen Carson, president of the OpenCourseWare Consortium. "Our goal is to
build a collection of materials that meet a wide range of needs, and Kaplan's
materials address an important audience of lifelong learners the OpenCourseWare
community is striving to serve." 

For more about the OCWC, go to www.ocwcconsortium.org. For more information
about Kaplan`s OCWC courses, go to http://ocw.kaplan.edu. 

About Kaplan University

Kaplan University offers a different school of thought for higher education. It
strives to help adult students unlock their untapped talent by providing a
practical, student-centered education that prepares them for careers in some of
the fastest-growing industries. Based in Davenport, Iowa, the University is
regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and is a member of
the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). Kaplan University
offers more than 100 academic programs and currently serves more than 48,000
online and campus-based students. To learn more about Kaplan University, visit
www.kaplan.edu. 

Kaplan University is part of Kaplan Higher Education, which serves more than
100,000 students through 70-plus campus-based schools and online operations
across the United States and abroad. It also has online programs through Kaplan
Virtual Education and Concord Law School of Kaplan University. Kaplan Higher
Education schools offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from high school
diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a juris doctor degree.
Kaplan Higher Education is part of Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of The Washington
Post Company (NYSE: WPO). For more information, visit www.kaplan.com. 





for Kaplan University
Press contact:
Linnea Brown, (954) 515-3651/cell (954) 397-8198
lbrown3@kaplan.edu

Copyright Business Wire 2009

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