Business
Strategic Education, Inc. Makes Sophia Learning Platform Available for Free
Amid campus closures and education disruption in light of COVID-19 outbreak, online education platform makes general education courses available to all
About this update from Strategic Education, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\nAmid campus closures and education disruption in light of COVID-19 outbreak, online education platform makes general education courses available to all through July 31\n\n MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nStrategic Education, Inc. (SEI) announced today it will make its Sophia Learning online education platform, whose mission is to offer students affordable ways to get to and through college, available to universities, school districts, employers and the general public for free. All Sophia general education courses are American Council on Education (ACE) recommended and transferrable to numerous higher education institutions for course credit.\n\n\nAmid campus closures and other disruptions to prioritize the health and safety of the nation, SEI and Sophia Learning are committed to providing opportunities for everyone to continue their educational journey safely and on their own terms with self-paced courses.\n\n\n“Our focus is to support students as they navigate this unprecedented time and find ways to continue their education,” said Grant Schmalzer, Executive Director of Sophia Learning. “By offering free courses online, our hope is that we provide more ways for students to access flexible education or explore potential new career avenues with our professional development courses. We are inspired by the ambition and dedication of students looking to complete their education as planned during this time of crisis. We hope that by doing our small part, we will help people achieve their educational and professional goals.”\n\n\nIn addition to making the platform widely available to the general public, SEI is engaging with its partners at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to ensure more than two dozen historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have access to this free platform. Employees at several of SEI’s more than 700 employer education partners can also benefit from access to the Sophia platform.\n\n\n“For 76 years, UNCF has built powerful partnerships that have helped ensure that we keep our promise to provide educational opportunities to our HBCUs and students,” said Dr. Michael Lomax, President and CEO of UNCF. “We are excited to work with SEI to provide online general education courses for our students whose college plans are being disrupted by this health crisis. Now, students in need of general education cour...