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Altius Education Launches First Beta Course for Helix
Altius Education has debuted its first course for the Helix platform, a learning environment that takes a narrative, storytelling approach to online education, matching students' interests with the information being taught.
Helix was a recipient of a Next Generation Learning Challenge Wave IIIb grant. NGLC is an initiative that provides financial support for innovative, technology-centered solutions for improving college readiness and completion, with an emphasis on solutions for minority and low-income students. The program is led by the education organization Educause and is supported by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), iNacol (the International Association for K-12 Online Learning), and the League for Innovation in the Community College.
The first course offered on the Helix platform, currently in beta, is CIS 100: College Prep for Computer Skills, designed to help students develop basic computer skills critical to participating in online courses. It was unveiled at the Educause 2012 conference, taking place this week in Denver, CO. Attendees and members of the public are invited to sign up for the beta.
"Helix combines innovations from different areas of education technology including adaptive learning and complex analytics," said Paul Freedman, founder and CEO of Altius Education, in a prepared statement. "But one of the aspects that differentiates the platform from others is its use of personalization through storytelling. This allows Helix to add relevance to a course's subject matter that improves the retention of information."
Altius is demonstrating Helix in the "NGLC Alley" at the Educause conference in booth 1261. Other NGLC recipients are also participating in demonstrations. Additional details can be found at altiused.com. Members of the public can sign up for the beta course at helix.altiused.com/player/signin.