Indian-American digitises arts education

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.