When C21U was first launched in 2011, we were a small team that wanted to be a living laboratory for experimenting with fundamental change in higher education. More than five years down the road, much has changed within C21U, Georgia Tech and higher education as a whole.
Since our founding, C21U has moved from a research center in the College of Computing to a research hub in within the Office of the Provost. Our team has grown in numbers and changed in focus. We've helped to form an Educational Innovation Ecosystem (EIE) that brings together research centers and units from across campus with a common purpose: to explore what a Georgia education might become in a world in which society, institutions, students, and the workplace are all changing dramatically.
This timeline follows the history of C21U from College-affiliate think tank to today's transformative role as the research arm of Georgia Tech's Office of the Provost.
2011
September
- C21U launches as a research center affiliated with Georgia Tech's College of Computing
November
- First UnConference on Open Courseware
- Offered #change11 MOOC for credit
December
- C21U Hosts Techbursts Competition
2012
January
- Second UnConference on Games in Education
July
November
- Bill & Melinda Gates grant award for expanding student access to quality online education
December
- $6 million gift from anonymous donor to fund educational innovation
2013
May
- Georgia Tech's College of Computing launches its groundbreaking online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) degree program
2014
January
- Enrollment in Georgia Tech MOOCs reaches one million
March
- C21U is a contributor to the Office of Science and Technology Policy's (OSTP) Federal Register Notice regarding "High Impact Learning Technologies"
2015
April
- Georgia Tech Screening of The Ivory Tower documentary
October
- C21U becomes the research arm of the Office of the Provost
- Office of the Provost's new Educational Innovation Ecosystem (EIE) launches and is led by C21U, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE), and the Office of Information Technology (OIT)
November
- Office of the Provost, in partnership with C21U, announces the Commission on Creating the Next in Education (CNE)
2016
January
- Georgia Tech partners with MOOC provider edX
- Official launch of the Commission on Creating the Next in Education (CNE) with Rich DeMillo (C21U) and Bonnie Ferri (Engineering) as co-chairs
October
- Third UnConference on Analytics
November
- C21U works with CNE to Sponsor OpenIDEO Higher Ed Challenge in partnership with U.S. Department of Education (announced at White House)
- Georgia Tech's College of Computing teams up with McGraw-Hill Education and edX to take undergraduate computer science education online, with the launch of the online version of CS 1301 (taught by David Joyner)
2017
April
- C21U and Deloitte University Press Release Pathways to the Presidency research report (announced by Jeff Selingo)
May
- Celebration for the Fifth Anniversary of C21U
- Launch of Analytics: Essential Tools and Methods MicroMasters program is offered by edX
August
December
- Fifth Anniversary of the College of Computing's groundbreaking Threads curriculum (spearheaded by Rich DeMillo)
2018
April
- The Commission on Creating the Next in Education (CNE) launches its final report, "Deliberate Innovation, Lifetime Education," expanding upon two years of intensive research and outlining Georgia Tech's commitment and new approach to lifelong engagement with learners of all ages.
June
- C21U sponsors the U.S. Office of Educational Technology's new Reimagining the Higher Education Ecosystem Challenge
July
- C21U partners with the Georgia Tech Language Institute (GTLI) to design and launch a free app for non-native English speakers, "Speak English Professionally." The app is based on GTLI's preexisting Coursera course. (App design in conjunction with Onlea) [Pending addition to app store]