2TOR 2B 2U: 2Tor, the Landover, Md.-based company that aims to extend the reach of bricks-and-mortar schools into virtual territory, has changed its name to "2U." That's a long-overdue move: The company doesn't "tutor" students. Unlike online university programs such as Coursera, Udacity and EdX, 2Tor--or now, 2U--doesn't even create its own courses. It "brings the university to you," says CEO Chip Paucek--and by that he means the brand and classes of specific institutions. Those currently include six partners such as Georgetown University's School of Nursing and recently Washington University Law School. VentureBeat had an exclusive look at some of these programs that are now available on smartphones. We're fascinated by the divergent directions that universities are taking as represented by Coursera, Udacity, EdX and 2U. Of those 2U has the deepest revenue stream; Coursera has the most students. Newton's first law tells us that bodies in motion stay that way unless other forces act on them. Seems like there are plenty of forces at work: we'll keep you posted on what changes.
