We submitted a proposal to the Knight News Challenge to use public libraries as the physical infrastructure to support online learning. The proposal is open for feedback and it would be great to get some feedback!
Feedback from the site :
I like the model of providing an in-person infrastructure to the highly decentralized online courses, and I can imagine how this helps particularly new online learners. I have taught online courses and seen students of many ages struggle to learn new online tools on top of learning the content.
I wonder about opportunities to connect deeply with local community colleges. Having worked with community college students I have seen many jump into online classes for the flexibility it offers while they work other jobs, etc… but they sometimes struggle without the structure of the classroom and network of learners around them for the reasons you outline above.
What other partners - like community colleges - could you see connecting with this effort?