One of the world’s boldest experiments in higher education began in September when 180 students from nearly 50 countries around the world logged on to their computers for their first day of school at the University of the People. At first glance, the school has many of the trappings of a modern university: a provost, department heads, even an admissions committee. Yet there are glaring differences—namely, a the lack of a campus or physical classroom and just a handful of paid staff—that set it apart from its bricks-and-mortar counterparts.
Those are shortcomings the students, most of them from developing countries and without the means to pay for college, are willing to overlook.
(Continue reading story by Alison Damast in Business Week)