America
Indian-American digitises arts education
New York, July 24
An Indian-American music
professor has created an online education platform offering inexpensive
creative arts courses from some of the world's leading institutions,
including Stanford University and Princeton University.
Created
by Ajay Kapur, 35, associate dean of digital arts at the California
Institute of Arts in Valencia, the website called Kadenze has drawn 30
additional institutions besides the original 18 which are interested in
offering courses, India West reported.
Currently, the site is offering 24 foundation courses with more planned for the future.
Some
of the courses being offered include project management for designers,
sound production for musicians and artists and introduction to graphic
illustration.
Users can either have limited access to the courses for free or pay $7 per month for full access.
The
full access includes graded assignments that contribute to the
student's portfolio, a statement of accomplishment, and class rankings
indicating if the student is within the top 10, five or one percent of
students.
"The price of going to college is getting completely
out of control. For creative people and people studying the arts, that
is insane. The only thing it will accomplish is that you will not be an
artist," Kapur was quoted as saying.
With partnerships from a
publisher and software companies like Adobe and Ableton, Kadenze also
offers its premium students discounts in supplies and materials needed
for the courses.
Students who want to take the courses for credit can upgrade for $300 per credit.
"Instead
of spending $20,000 to $30,000 per semester, which is what it's
costing, on Kadenze, you will be able to do a semester in $4,500," Kapur
said.