ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok, the George Mason University economics professors behind the popular economics blog MarginalRevolution.com, announce the launch of the first course from their new online education platform Marginal Revolution University (MRUniversity.com).
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"We think education should be better, cheaper, and easier to access," notes Cowen in the announcement of the new site, "so we decided to take matters into our own hands and create a new online education platform toward those ends."
The first course in development economics will provide the equivalent of a 45-hour course in a series of narrated videos broken into short segments (most no longer than 5 minutes) that can be taken as a complete syllabus or in separate lessons. The site is also designed to provide the opportunity for interactive questions, quizzes, and other related materials, including user-submitted content.
"The ability to understand the fundamentals of development economics and the reasons why some countries are rich while others are poor is critical to students the world over," says Tabarrok. "MRUniversity.com provides this course for free and invites students around the world to not just learn but also to teach and share their knowledge."
Users will be encouraged to submit content. Cowen explains, "Our goal is not merely a series of one-to-many lectures but also a many-to-many learning experience." As the site evolves, registered users will be able to submit multiple types of content, including questions and answers, documents, PowerPoint presentations, and their own videos.
As the curriculum expands, the site will add "country sections" to the basic core of material. India will be the first country, followed by Mexico. MRUniversity.com users will also have the opportunity to follow a Twitter feed from the world's leading economists, practitioners, and writers on development economics.
To participate in Marginal Revolution University, visit: http://www.MRUniversity.com/.
Media Contact: Leigh Harrington, [email protected], (703) 993-4960
SOURCE Mercatus Center at George Mason University
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