Altius Education Launches First Beta Course for Helix -- THE Journal

Distance Learning

Altius Education Launches First Beta Course for Helix

By David Nagel
11/08/12

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.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .

E-Mail this page

Printable Format

Featured

CIS Study Finds 82% of K-12 Organizations Experienced Cyber Threat Impacts in the Past 18 Months

A new report from the Center for Internet Security highlights the increasing sophistication, frequency, and impact of cyber attacks against K-12 schools.
Meta Introduces Stand-Alone AI App

Meta Platforms has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.
IBM Launches Agentic AI Governance and Security Platform

IBM has introduced a new software stack for enterprise IT teams tasked with managing the complex governance and security challenges posed by autonomous AI systems.
Toward a Holistic Approach to Data-Informed Decision-Making in Education

With increasing access to data and powerful analytic tools, the temptation to reduce educational outcomes to mere numbers is strong. However, educational leadership demands a more holistic and thoughtful approach.