S1 E7 | High Quality, Low Cost: Impact of a MOOC-based degree program – with Zvi Galil

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Zvi Galil, creator of the Online Master of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Computing. Todd and Zvi discuss the launch of this program in 2014, which is regarded as the first affordable, fully online MOOC-based master’s degree in the United States. Zvi disputes the premises that we should be afraid of online, and that in-person teaching is superior. Topics Discussed:•The impact of the first MOOC-based degree at Georgia Tech, and how it opened-up a larger, global market•Opportunities for universities to deliver online degrees at a fraction of the cost and to a larger student population •The expansion of high-quality and low-cost MOOC-based degrees into the undergraduate realm•How success was driven through the board of trustees, critical faculty, and an investment from a corporation Guest BioZvi Galil is the creator of the Online Master of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Computing, who The Wall Street Journal dubbed “The man who made online college work.” Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, he earned BS and MS degrees in Applied Mathematics from Tel Aviv University, both summa cum laude. Zvi later obtained a PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University.In 1982, he joined the faculty of Columbia University, served as the chair of the Computer Science Department in 1989-1994, and became dean of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science in 1995-2007. In 2007, he returned to Tel Aviv University to serve as president. Zvi then took over as the third John P. Imlay Jr. Dean of Computing at Georgia Tech from July 2010 through June 2019.He has written over 200 scientific papers, edited five books, and has given more than 150 lectures in 20 countries. Zvi has served as editor in chief of two journals and as the chief computer science adviser in the United States to the Oxford University Press. Recently, he was named one of the 10 most influential computer scientists in the last decade by Academic Influence.