The University of Maryland University College and several other institutions expect to begin awarding transfer credit to those who have taken — and can prove they learned from — certain "massive open online courses," known as MOOCs. The Baltimore Sun says the higher-education institutions have agreed to track student progress as part of a research study gauging how well the MOOCs prepared the students for a more traditional learning experience. Other schools taking part in the study: the University of Illinois Springfield; Central Michigan University; Western Carolina University; State University of New York Empire State College; Kaplan University; American Public University; and Regis University.