LANDOVER, Md., Feb. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ: TWOU), a leader in partnering with colleges and universities to deliver the world's best online degree programs, announced today award recipients of 2U's first research grants initiative. The one-year awards, totaling nearly $200,000, are designed to support the research work of full-time faculty members and academic leaders at 2U's partner universities.

"2U's research grants will support 2U partner institutions by funding innovative research in core areas relevant to the shared mission of delivering high-quality online education," said Jason "JZ" Zocks, executive vice president of program management for 2U. "The grants are focused on four areas critical to the success of online learning: the measurement of student outcomes, strategies for faculty effectiveness, strategies for sharing and growing best practices, and interdisciplinary studies from large-scale data."

The following nine winners have been selected by a committee of higher education leaders:



    --  Georgetown School of Nursing & Health SciencesLois Wessel:
        "Interprofessional Education on Families in Crisis"

    --  GW Milken Institute of Public Health Julie DeLoia, Monique Turner,
        Andrew Wiss: "Exploring the Relationship Between Contingent Faculty's
        Perceptions of Institutional Connectedness and Student Satisfaction in
        Online Graduate Courses"

    --  Simmons School of Social Work Judah Axe: "The Effects of Oral Quizzes on
        Written Exam Performance in an Online Course"

    --  Syracuse School of Information Studies Jeffrey Saltz: "Improving the
        Structure of Online Breakout Activities Using Pair Programming
        Techniques"

    --  The Family Institute at Northwestern University Eric Beeson: "An
        Exploration of Sense of Community Among Online Graduate Students"

    --  UC Berkeley School of Information Drew Paulin: "Exploring the
        Relationship Between Online Synchronous Interaction and Learning
        Outcomes"

    --  UNC Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School Eric Ghysels, Steve
        Raymond, Valentin Verdier: "Estimating Value-Added Models of Student
        Learnings With Online Course Data"

    --  USC Rossier School of Education Stephen Aguilar: "Using Learning
        Analytics and Natural Language Processing to Explore the Role of
        Synchronous Chat in Knowledge Construction During Online Course
        Sessions"

    --  USC Rossier School of Education Stephen Aguilar, John Pascarella:
        "Assessing the Role of Asynchronous Materials in Supporting Learning"

About 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU)
2U partners with leading colleges and universities to deliver the world's best online degree programs so students everywhere can reach their full potential. Our Platform, a fusion of cloud-based software-as-a-service technology and technology-enabled services, provides schools with the comprehensive operating infrastructure they need to attract, enroll, educate, support and graduate students globally. Blending live face-to-face classes, dynamic course content and real-world learning experiences, 2U's No Back Row® approach ensures that every qualified student can experience the highest quality university education for the most successful outcome. To learn more, go to 2U.com.

Media contact:
Jemila Woodson
jwoodson@2u.com
301-892-4419

http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnthumb/20161012/428203LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2u-inc-announces-recipients-of-the-companys-first-research-grants-300406971.html

SOURCE 2U, Inc.